Over 50 universities are being investigated for discrimination and DEI practices that violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The investigation is led by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. GVSU is being investigated for alleged race-based scholarships and race-based segregation.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who was confirmed as 13th Secretary of Education on March 3, 2025, said her goal is to “ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race.”
Presidential Executive Order Ending Illegal Discrimination
On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity. The order explained that major institutions across America, such as universities and the Federal Government, have adopted race- and sex-based preferences under the pretext of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) that violate civil rights laws.
DEI was a significant issue at the core of the 2024 presidential campaigns of both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Trump spoke about abolishing DEI, while Harris promoted the DEI agenda.
DEI and CRT
DEI and critical race theory (CRT) gained steam in American society after the death of George Floyd in May of 2020. CRT, which is the ideological foundation for DEI, holds that America is fundamentally racist, and all people, corporations, and institutions should practice “anti-racism” or “antiracist discrimination” to create equity of outcomes. This concept is often referred to as “racial equity.”
The Heritage Foundation released a report about DEI in 2022 which quoted Kimberlé Crenshaw, a co-founder of CRT. Crenshaw explained that CRT reflects “skepticism toward dominant claims of meritocracy, neutrality, objectivity, and color blindness…. Critical race theory draws upon several traditions, including poststructuralism, postmodernism, Marxism… [and] massive social transformation is a necessary precondition of racial justice.”
Rufo and Color-blind Equality
Christopher Rufo is a leading conservative authority on DEI and CRT. He explained the concepts of DEI and CRT:
“This ideology stands in direct opposition to the principles of the Constitution, which provides for color-blind equality under law. Yet many American institutions quickly adopted ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, such as discriminatory hiring practices and racially segregated employee groups, that are, correctly interpreted, illegal.”
Discrimination Controversy and PhD Project
The Office for Civil Rights has highlighted the PhD Project as a group partnering with universities that limit eligibility based on race. OCR is investigating universities alleged to be “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.” This is related to the investigation into GVSU, which was not on the list of universities working with the PhD Project. The list includes the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University, Duke University, and others.
There is a trend of pro-DEI organizations changing their websites, mission statements, and marketing messages following President Trump’s executive orders in January 2025.
The PhD Project updated their website to hide DEI language after President Trump signed the executive order to end discrimination on January 21, 2025.
PhD Project removed their vision statement entirely. It was missing from the website for weeks. During this time, the PhD Project changed their vision and added it back to the website in early March 2025, just prior to the Department of Education announcing their investigation.
Pre-Executive Order Vision Statement: “A significantly larger talent pipeline of Black/African Americans, Latinx/Hispanic Americans and Native Americans/Canadian Indigenous for business leadership positions.”
Post-Executive Order Vision Statement: “A broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders committed to excellence and each other.”
The PhD Project also scrubbed pages and text from their website supporting DEI, “race conscious admissions,” and affirmative action.
Some pages were deleted entirely (example 1, example 2) even though they were promoted on PhD Project's social media.
Risk to Federal Funding
Universities risk losing federal funding if they practice illegal discrimination or race preferences in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline, and other programs and activities.
“Institutions’ violation of Title VI can result in loss of federal funds.”
- U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” says Education Sec. Linda McMahon.
How DEI Corrupts America’s Universities
In an article from June 29, 2024, Christopher Rufo outlined examples of how DEI is practiced in the real world. Using examples from the University of Colorado Boulder’s DEI program, he shows how CU Boulder believes “Black, Indigenous and People of Color” (BIPOC) students are failing because of “white supremacy culture.” Rufo stated:
"What is white supremacy culture? According to CU Boulder’s DEI documentation, it includes ‘individualism,’ ‘perfectionism,’ ‘a sense of urgency,’ ‘worship of the written word,’ and ‘objectivity.’ These traits are supposedly vestiges of 'whiteness' and unavailable to racial minorities. The problem with DEI is not merely administrative or curricular. When its principles are adopted wholesale, DEI compromises the fundamental purpose of the university."
Read the entire article here: https://christopherrufo.com
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