George Mason University violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by illegally using diversity, equity and inclusion practices, the Department of Education announced Friday.
The department's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the institution's hiring and promotion practices last month following a complaint filed by several of its professors who claimed preferential treatment was given to prospective and current faculty members from "underrepresented groups" to advance "anti-racism."
The complaint accused George Mason President Gregory Washington of issuing guidance that prioritized diversity initiatives over qualifications.
"In 2020, University President Gregory Washington called for expunging the so-called 'racist vestiges' from GMU's campus," Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education Craig Trainor said in a statement. "Without a hint of self awareness, President Washington then waged a university-wide campaign to implement unlawful DEI policies that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race. You can't make this up."
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"Despite this unfortunate chapter in Mason's history, the University now has the opportunity to come into compliance with federal civil rights laws by entering into a Resolution Agreement with the Office for Civil Rights," he continued. "In the last seven months, this much is clear: The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will not allow racially exclusionary practices-which violate the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Protection Clause, and Supreme Court precedent-to continue corrupting our nation's educational institutions."
The Office for Civil Rights proposed a possible resolution to the university's president that includes six conditions to which the institution must agree. The university must agree to the conditions within the next 10 days to resolve the matter.
The proposed resolution would require the university to send a statement to students and faculty committing to comply with Title VI in its recruitment, hiring, promotion and tenure decisions, and the statement should include a personal apology from the university's president for "promoting unlawful discriminatory practices."
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The statement must also be displayed prominently on the university's website and any contrary statements would have to be removed, according to the proposed resolution.
The university would need to agree to revise any policies and documents used in its recruitment, hiring, promotion and tenure process and must remove any provisions that require or encourage the use of race as a factor in these practices.
The federal government also said George Mason must conduct annual training for anyone involved in these practices to affirm that it would not give preferences based on race.
Additionally, the institution must make records demonstrating compliance with the agreement available to the government upon request.
George Mason's failure to agree to the proposed resolution could lead to a loss in federal funds.
The Trump administration has already pulled funding from several universities, including Harvard, Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles, over discrimination accusations and their handling of alleged antisemitism on campus.
Fox News Digital reached out to George Mason for comment.
