UVA to end DEI practices in agreement reached with Trump administration
The University of Virginia has reached a settlement with the Trump administration to halt multiple federal investigations into the school for alleged civil rights violations.
The school must comply with a number of demands, including ending its DEI programs and race-based admissions.
A major university has just agreed to settle with the federal government to stop several pending investigations into its alleged civil rights violations.
The University of Virginia has reached an agreement with the Trump administration to pause five Department of Justice investigations into the school for alleged civil rights and admissions policy violations.
The university will avoid paying fines but must comply with several demands, including ending its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and race-based admissions, which will allow it to remain eligible for federal funding in the future.
The DOJ guidance also enforces the “importance of sex-separated intimate spaces and athletic competitions,” effectively banning transgender people from competing in categories outside of those for their biological sex.
In order to prove compliance with the arrangement, the school must also submit quarterly reports to the DOJ through 2028.
Scott Goldschmidt, a lawyer and civil rights expert, noted that the agreement could be beneficial for UVA if it remains compliant.
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“So if [UVA] feels confident that they can comply, then this could be a good outcome for the school. The investigations are closed and they don’t admit liability,” he told Inside Higher Ed. “But if there is any issue, or the government sees otherwise, then all bets are off, and they could be in a worse position than when they signed the agreement.”
Paul Mahoney, the school’s interim president, also took a hopeful tone in a statement regarding the settlement, saying, “After months of discussions with DOJ, I believe strongly that this agreement represents the best available path forward.”
“We will also redouble our commitment to the principles of academic freedom, ideological diversity, free expression, and the unyielding pursuit of ‘truth, wherever it may lead,’ as Thomas Jefferson put it,” he continued.
All relevant parties have been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
