Department of Education: George Mason University Broke the Law by Discriminating Against Individuals Based on Race and Sex

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into George Mason University(GMU) last month after several professors filed a complaint alleging that GMU violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act when it hired and promoted based on immutable characteristics like race and sex.

On Friday, ED announced that GMU violated federal law by discriminating against individuals based on race and sex.

During the so-called racial reckoning that began in 2020, the president of GMU called for the school to expunge “racial vestiges” by discriminating against individuals based on race and sex without “a hint of self awareness.”

Race- and sex-based discrimination is illegal in the United States through the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

Among ED’s proposals to correct the problem: GMU’s president must issue a statement to all employees and students informing them about compliance; provide instructions on submitting a discrimination complaint; and personally apologize to GMU employees and students for the illegal discrimination.

Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for Civil Rights, said that despite GMU’s past violations, the school now has the chance to make things right.

“In the last seven months, this much is clear: The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will not allow racially exclusionary practices—which violate the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Protection Clause, and Supreme Court precedent—to continue corrupting our nation’s educational institutions.”

Photo credit: By Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States – George Mason University – Arlington, CC BY 2.0, link

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