The University of Virginia is close to striking a deal with the Trump administration to settle federal investigations into the school’s use of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in admissions.
“The university would be required to continue to take steps to come into compliance with the administration’s expansive interpretation of a 2023 Supreme Court decision that ended explicit consideration of race in admissions to higher education,” the New York Times reported Tuesday, citing individuals familiar with the negotiations. The university would not face a fine or government monitor, penalties to which Columbia University agreed in its settlement, but would instead provide regular updates to federal officials about how the school is addressing the administration’s civil rights concerns.
“In return, the Justice Department would suspend federal investigations into the university,” the Times reported, “while reserving the right to resume those inquiries if the administration deemed the school was not making sufficient progress on its civil rights goals.”
UVA’s Board of Visitors passed a resolution in March agreeing to dissolve its DEI office in response to Trump administration pressure. Longtime university president James Ryan resigned in late June amid growing backlash over the controversy.
The Trump administration has launched investigations into dozens of universities over civil rights violations. So far, the administration has secured a $221 million settlement with Columbia and a $50 million settlement with Brown University. The University of Pennsylvania, meanwhile, agreed to prohibit transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports on its women’s teams and revised its list of women’s record-holders.
The Trump administration has been in talks with other schools, including Harvard University, where it has frozen nearly $3 billion in federal funding, and the University of California, Los Angeles, where it revoked more than $339 million in research grants and demanded a $1 billion settlement over civil rights abuses.
UVA has also faced the administration’s scrutiny for months, with the Department of Justice “sending a flurry of letters this spring outlining a host of alleged violations by the university in areas such as hiring, admissions and its handling of alleged antisemitism,” according to the Washington Post. The DOJ warned in its letters that the university could lose significant federal funding if school officials fail to take “immediate corrective action.”
Original News Source – Washington Free Beacon
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