Proposed resolution requires President Gregory Washington to issue a public apology for promoting discriminatory practices
George Mason University’s president “waged a university-wide campaign to implement unlawful DEI policies that intentionally discriminate on the basis of race,” a violation of civil rights law, the Department of Education determined Friday.
The Northern Virginia school, under President Gregory Washington’s direction, violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “by illegally using race and other immutable characteristics in university practices and policies, including hiring and promotion,” National Review first reported.
“In 2020, University President Gregory Washington called for expunging the so-called ‘racist vestiges’ from GMU’s campus. 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,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor in a press release.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights proposed a resolution agreement to address the identified civil rights violations and gave George Mason 10 days to voluntarily comply. Under the resolution, Washington would be required to issue a personal apology for promoting discriminatory practices and a statement affirming the university’s commitment to non-discriminatory practices in recruitment, hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. It would detail how to file discrimination complaints.
George Mason would also be required to conduct annual training for all personnel involved in recruitment, hiring, promotion, and tenure processes to ensure compliance with non-discrimination policies.
The Trump administration has already secured high-profile resolutions with several elite universities to address allegations of anti-Semitism and civil rights violations. Last month, Columbia agreed to a $221 million settlement, while Brown committed to a $50 million payment. The administration also reportedly began pursuing a $1 billion settlement with the University of California, Los Angeles, just days after the administration revoked $339 million in federal funding, and is nearing a $500 million settlement with Harvard over allegations of civil rights violations related to DEI initiatives and campus anti-Semitism.
Almost immediately after taking office in July 2020, Washington implemented a flurry of race-conscious initiatives aimed at changing the way the university hired, promoted, and paid faculty members. They included plans to “recognize the invisible and uncredited emotional labor that people of color expend” during the school’s tenure process and to launch “diversity cluster hire initiatives,” all in the name of making George Mason “a national exemplar of anti-racism and inclusive excellence in action.”
The Department of Education found that Washington “created an atmosphere of surveillance pertaining to the University’s hiring decisions in relation to DEI objectives.” School policies allowed faculty hiring to bypass competitive search processes “when there is an opportunity to hire a candidate who strategically advances the institutional commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
The faculty handbook also requires the Office of Access, Compliance, and Community—which was renamed from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion shortly after President Donald Trump took office—to sign off on any new hires.
The Education Department’s findings stem from a Title VI investigation launched on July 10 based on a complaint filed by professors who contended “that the university illegally uses race and other immutable characteristics in university policies, including hiring and promotion.” The Department of Justice opened its own probe a week later.
Washington responded by denying wrongdoing and blaming external actors, including the Washington Free Beacon, for working to “paint the institution in a negative light” in an effort to oust him.
While George Mason did not respond to a request for comment, the school’s Board of Visitors, which passed a resolution earlier this month dismantling Washington’s racially focused projects, said it was reviewing the department’s proposal and indicated it would continue cooperating with the federal government.
“The Board is reviewing the specific resolution steps proposed by the Department of Education. We will continue to respond fully and cooperatively to all inquiries from the Department of Education, the Department of Justice and the U.S. House of Representatives and evaluate the evidence that comes to light,” the statement read. “Our sole focus is our fiduciary duty to serve the best interests of the University and the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
The Trump Department of Education has also launched a separate probe into anti-Semitism at George Mason over allegations that Jewish students and faculty have faced a hostile environment on campus.
Read the full article here
