The Trump Administration announced an investigation into WashU for engaging in ‘race-exclusionary practices’ through its partnership with The PhD Project. (Ella Giere | Photo Editor)

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it was investigating 45 universities across the United States, including WashU, for allegedly “engaging in race-exclusionary practices” in their education programs and activities March 14.

The investigation comes amid allegations that WashU has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by partnering with The PhD Project, an non-profit organization aimed at encouraging minority professionals to attain business doctorates. Since its founding in 1993, the organization has assisted over 1,100 minority students with attaining business doctorates.

Julie Flory — Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications — wrote in an email comment to Student Life that The PhD Project is “an external program that [WashU has] supported with a small amount of funding for the past several years.”

The University has not released a public statement commenting on the investigation or the complete extent of WashU and Olin Business school’s involvement with The PhD Project.

Flory also expressed WashU’s continued commitment to welcoming and supporting students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds.

“We’re currently reviewing our participation [in The PhD Project] to determine how best to move forward,” she wrote. “Beyond our involvement in any particular program, we remain firmly dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment for all.”

In a press release issued last week, the OCR claimed that it had received reports alleging that The PhD Project “limits eligibility based on the race of its participants.” This announcement comes less than a month after the Department of Education published an online form, where people could submit reports of “illegal discriminatory practices” in schools or colleges.

The Department has also sent letters to the universities, informing them that they were under investigation, and giving them a deadline of March 31 to disclose information about their relationship with the nonprofit.

As of the date of publication, the Olin Business School’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) webpage lists WashU as a “participating university in the PhD Project.” It is unclear for how long the university has been partnering with the nonprofit, or how many students are involved with it.

Jacqueline Slack Carter, the program manager of Olin’s EDI team, failed to respond to Student Life emails requesting further comment on the matter. Gisele Marcus, Professor of Practice in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), also did not respond.

According to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, the OCR’s probe into The PhD Project and its partner institutions will help end race-based discrimination in universities’ educational programs.

“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” she wrote in a press release. “Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment.”

The OCR’s investigation into WashU is one step in a series of actions taken by the Trump Administration against DEI initiatives on college campuses. One month before the investigation was announced, the OCR released a memo, stating that too many universities in the U.S. have implemented “discriminatory” race-based preferences into their programs.

“[American educational institutions’] embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia,” the OCR wrote. “Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices.”

The memo subsequently threatened to withhold federal funds if universities failed to immediately review their DEI-related programs and partnerships.

“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” the memo reads.

Some of the other universities under investigation have already moved to cut ties with The PhD Project. Last Monday, the University of Kentucky said that it had “severed ties” with the program. Arizona State University said its business school is not financially supporting The PhD Project this year and told faculty that it would not support travel to the nonprofit’s annual conference.

Public comment from other universities’ leadership has been minimal and restrained, with many saying that they will cooperate with federal investigators, but declining to comment any further.

Universities may also be reluctant to push back against OCR’s agenda as the Trump Administration has shown willingness to withhold federal funding over issues such as anti-semitism allegations, diversity programs and transgender athletes.

The administration recently withheld $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University on account of its handling of pro-Palestine protests, and threatened billions more if the university failed to comply with its demands. Columbia later agreed to implement a host of policy changes last Friday, including overhauling its rules for protests and conducting an immediate review of its Middle Eastern Studies department.

Veena Dubal, the general counsel for the Association of American Professors, noted the widespread fear the crackdowns elicit in university communities.

“There is a concern that if one university steps up and fights this then that university will have all of their funding cut. They are being hindered not just by fear but a real collective action problem. None of these universities wants to be the next example.”

President and CEO of The PhD Project, Alfonzo Alexander, said in a statement to NPR that he continues to remain optimistic, despite the threats facing the nonprofit and its university partners.

“When we look back a year or two years from now, we’ll be better and stronger as an organization than we were before this current environment,” he said.

In February, the organization also revised its mission statement, removing the phrase “historically underrepresented” and expanding its applicant pool.

“This year we opened up our application to anyone who is interested in helping to expand and broaden the pool of talent, both at the university level through faculty, as well as in corporate America,” Alexander said. “We may have to do it a little bit differently than what we’ve done in the past. But we will make sure that we continue on a path to where we’re impacting people in a positive way.”