Justice Department opens probe following executive order ending DEI
The Department of Education (ED) has initiated an investigation into 45 universities, including the University of Notre Dame, in an effort to curb Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives pursuant to President Trump’s recent executive order directing the federal government to end support for such programs.
On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” which ordered the shutdown of all federal DEI programs. It also ordered the government to provide a list of any federal grantees who received funding for “DEI, DEIA, or ‘environmental justice’ programs, services, or activities since January 20, 2021.” This list includes many major American universities, as DEI programs have become widespread in recent years with DEI-related government spending reaching nearly 1 trillion dollars, per the Center for Renewing America.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, nominated by Trump following the withdrawal of Rep. Matt Gaetz in December, has been robust in clamping down on federal support for DEI. In a memo published in February, Bondi ordered the DoJ’s Office of Legal Policy and Civil Rights Division to prepare recommendations to begin prosecuting violations of Trump’s executive order, in addition to the ED’s probes.
According to the ED’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the investigation “comes amid” concerns over the universities’ partnerships with The PhD Project. In a press release, OCR said that the PhD Project “purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a PhD and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants.” OCR opened the investigation after allegations that partnering with the PhD Project could be a breach of Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any organization that receives federal funding. Other universities under investigation include UC Berkeley, Duke, Cornell, Clemson, and MIT.
The PhD Project claims, “Through conferences, mentoring, and networking, The PhD Project encourages and supports historically underrepresented candidates on their journey to acquiring a PhD. With demonstrated success in creating more diverse business faculty, we are doing more than transforming the face of business education. We are inspiring new generations of future leaders, bringing diversity to our workforce, and creating a better world for all of us.”
Any university found guilty of violating Title VI is liable to lose federal funding. This could potentially affect scholarships, graduate student stipends and open positions, events, and a variety of other areas of campus life.
In response to reductions in grants from the federal government resulting from recent executive orders, university president Fr. Robert Dowd, C.S.C. released a message on March 7, saying, “To meet the current challenges [of federal funding changes] and those we might face in the future, we are taking three important steps. First, we are implementing a staff hiring freeze, effective immediately.”
“Second, we are asking every budget unit to reduce spending where possible,” Fr. Dowd continued. “Among others, travel, entertainment, and events expenses should be monitored. Finally, the leaders of each division, college, and school will be asked to proactively model a 5 percent budget reduction in the event the financial impact of government actions should become significantly more dramatic.”
Students and parents had mixed reactions to news of the investigation. Freshman Quinlen Schachle, a member of ND College Democrats, condemned the investigation, saying, “Can we not be diverse, equitable, and inclusive anymore? The president is battling Catholic values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and it’s just not a good look.”
One mother of a sophomore in Keough Hall expressed approval of the investigation. Disapproving of DEI-based initiatives, she said, “I think that these efforts to improve the disadvantages of certain minority groups should be addressed at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. This is the only way to assure an even playing field for these groups once they get to college without discriminating against white people.”
Citing irony in the stated “equity” of the university’s DEI initiatives, she added, “You can’t have different standards for different people based on their skin color.”
The university has received significant criticism for its continued DEI initiatives, with federal investigations being the most recent iteration of such.
Sam Marchand is a sophomore studying political science and finance from Beaumont, Texas. He squanders much of his spare time by reading the Current Events section of Wikipedia preparing arguments for ND Speech & Debate, of which he serves as president. He can be reached at smarcha3@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Irish Rover
Subscribe to the Irish Rover here.
Donate to the Irish Rover here.
