The Trump administration has turned its focus to Duke University, zeroing in on allegations of racial discrimination at the Duke Law Journal, Duke University School of Medicine, and Duke Health.
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a probe Monday into whether the law journal has sought to give advantages to minority applicants, citing a tip sheet encouraging them to discuss “their membership in an underrepresented or marginalized group.”
The same day, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called on the university to form a six-month “Merit and Civil Rights Committee” to “swiftly uncover prohibited race-based discrimination in Duke Health.”
They cited claims that Duke Health has violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Affordable Care Act by promoting racial preferences in recruitment, student admissions, scholarships and financial aid, mentoring programs, hiring and promotion.
Such practices would “render Duke Health unfit for any further financial relationship with the federal government,” according to the Monday letter to Duke President Vincent Price, Board of Trustees Chair Adam Silver, and School of Medicine Dean Mary Klotman.
“HHS is making it clear: Federal funding must support excellence — not race — in medical education, research, and training,” Mr. Kennedy said.
“Today, Secretary McMahon and I are calling on Duke to address serious allegations of racial discrimination by forming a Merit and Civil Rights Committee to work with the Federal government to uphold civil rights and merit-based standards at Duke Health,” he added.
The letter gave Duke officials 10 days to respond to the federal demand letter.
The separate DOE investigation into the Duke Law Journal was based on a June 30 report in the Washington Free Beacon saying that the prestigious publication sought to put its thumb on the scale for minority applicants.
The journal distributed a “Tips & Tricks” sheet last year encouraging applicants affiliated with affinity groups to mention their race and gender in their personal statements.
The document was only distributed to the law school’s affinity groups, which are typically organized by traits such as race, ethnicity and sexuality.
Applicants were also told they could earn extra points by bringing up how they could help promote “diverse perspectives in legal academia.”
The Washington Times has reached out to Duke for comment.
In April, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched a probe into Harvard University and the Harvard Law Review on allegations of “race-based discrimination permeating the operations of the journal.”
The Trump administration has moved aggressively to root out racial bias in academia in keeping with President Trump’s executive orders, including “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”
Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin in education programs that receive federal funding.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.