George Mason University, the largest public university in Virginia, is being investigated by the Trump administration for the fourth time over its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Justice Department said.
The university is also being investigated on possible discrimination in its admission and student benefit policies and its hiring and promotion practices, the Justice Department said.
"Racial segregation regarding access to programs, facilities, or any facet of the student life is illegal," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote in a letter to the university notifying them of an investigation. "Preferential treatment toward or advantages given to one group of students (and the denial of the same to other groups of students) on the basis of race is illegal. A school administration's deliberate indifference to a racially hostile educational environment is illegal."
The Justice Department also said it would investigate allegations of antisemitism on campus.
George Mason's Board of Visitors said the university plans to fully comply with antidiscrimination laws.
"The Board of Visitors has a fiduciary obligation both to George Mason University as an institution and to the Commonwealth of Virginia to ensure that the University continues to thrive as the largest public university in Virginia," the school said in a statement. "This includes making sure that GMU fully complies with federal anti-discrimination laws as it excels in its mission. The University and the Board will respond fully and promptly to the requests from the U.S. Government and intends to keep the public informed along the way."
Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., said the investigations into George Mason and the University of Virginia are "troubling."
"This is the second time in less than a month that the Trump Administration has sought to undermine the independence of Virginia's higher education institutions," Scott said in a statement.
George Mason University President Gregory Washington said the school has always operated with a commitment to equality under the law.
"Our diversity efforts are designed to expand opportunity and build inclusive excellence — not to exclude or advantage any group unlawfully," Washington wrote last week.
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