[ad_1]
The Trump administration launched an investigation at UC on Thursday, saying it is advocating the university’s goal of “” increasing the diversity of faculty members” to “”illegal gender and racial-based employment discrimination.
In a short, 419-word letter to President Michael V. Drake, the Department of Justice’s Chief Civil Rights Attorney, UC said there is “reasonable reason” to believe that it has “specific employment practices that train program participants, employees, job seekers, and race and gender.”
The letter pointed to an ambitious UC plan that would add at least 20,000 students by 2030. It pointed to graduation rates, the share of students receiving their undergraduate diplomas within four years, and access to UC campuses for racial and other minority groups that have historically been underrepresented by higher education. UC announced its plans in 2021 and has since increased its registration target to up to 33,000 if resources such as funding become available.
The Justice Department appeared to be zero in a small section of the broader “UC 2030 Capacity Plan,” which hopes to increase diversity in graduate students and faculty, including the addition of 1,100 tenure-track faculty members.
Hermet Dillon, Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, wrote that the plan “promoted illegal activities by the University of California and some or all of its component campuses.”
In a statement, the Department of Justice added that UC will instruct campuses to hire “diverse” faculty members to meet race and sex-based employment quotas, alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
Dillon added: “It is important to note that we have not reached a conclusion about the subject.”
UC’s goals reveal the university’s ambitions to increase diversity, but they do not specify employment quotas. Since 2020, UC Regents (governor-appointed boards) have been formally prohibited using race and gender-based quotas. The move came when Californians discussed Proposal 16.
In a statement Thursday, a UC spokesman said the university would comply with the law and cooperate with the investigation.
“The University of California is committed to a fair and legitimate process in all programs and activities, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws,” said Rachel Zaentz, senior director of strategic and critical communications.
“The university also aims to develop a campus environment where everyone is welcome and supported,” she said. “We will work with sincerity as the Department of Justice is conducting an investigation.”
The investigation is the second UC employment survey launched by the Trump administration, and is part of a positive willingness to take action against universities that claim to prefer black, Latino, or other racial, ethnic or religious organizations over Asian, white, and Jewish students, staff and employees. Trump has also ordered an end to diversity, equity and inclusive efforts at educational institutions that receive federal funds.
In March, the Department of Justice could investigate whether UC is engaged in patterns or practices of discrimination based on race, religion, and national origins against professors, staff and other employees, allowing an anti-Semitic hostile work environment to exist on its campus.”
It was based on a petition and complaint from a teacher who denounced Abetting University’s alleged anti-Semitism accusations last year of calling on UC to separate its Israeli war from its financial ties to Israeli war in Gaza.
Both investigations employ campus “patterns or practices” probes based on the federal anti-discrimination law, a method of civil rights enforcement used during the Democratic administration to address racism allegations against police departments.
Also in March, the Justice Department accused UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine of using “illegal DEIs” in hospitalizations, and likely referring to aggressive behavior. The Department of Health and Human Services is investigating UCLA’s medical school for alleged discrimination in hospitalization.
The university denied such behavior. Zaentz said UC stopped using race in schools when it came to 1997 when Prop. 209 banned the consideration of race in public education, employment and contracts came into effect. Since then, “UC has implemented admissions practices to comply with the law,” she said in March.
Two UC Campuses – Los Angeles and Berkeley are on a list of 10 campuses that the federal task force fighting anti-Semitism said are researching. The task force has played a key role in withdrawing billions of federal funds from Harvard and Columbia University over allegations that it promoted anti-Semitism.
[ad_2]Source link
