The U.S. Department of Justice stated on Thursday that it will investigate the recruitment practices of the University of California system to examine whether its efforts to promote diversity among faculty and staff violate anti-discrimination laws. The focus of the investigation is on the university system’s recruitment strategies, which include increasing the number of underrepresented minority and female faculty members as a development goal.
This investigation marks the latest action taken by the Trump administration against universities. Previously, the government initiated investigations into campus anti-Semitism, with violators facing the risk of frozen research funding.
The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice accused the university system of openly using race and gender as criteria in the hiring process. The upcoming investigation will determine whether this practice constitutes a pattern or practice of employment discrimination prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Harmeet Dhillion, head of the Civil Rights Division, stated in a release, “Employing recruitment practices based on race and gender puts employers at risk of federal legal consequences under federal law.”
A spokesperson for the University of California system expressed willingness to cooperate with the Department of Justice during the investigation. In a statement, they said, “The University of California is committed to following fair and legal procedures in all our plans and activities, complying with federal and state anti-discrimination laws, and creating a campus environment where everyone feels welcomed and supported.”
For a long time, California, as the most populous state in the U.S., has been a significant stronghold of liberal politics, continuously challenging conservative traditions in America.
California’s public higher education comprises three university systems:
1. Research University System – University of California System (UC System), consisting of 10 universities, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, UC Merced, UC San Francisco.
2. Teaching University System – California State University System (CSU System), comprising 23 campuses.
3. Community College System – California Community Colleges System (CCCS System), consisting of 110 colleges.
In addition, California has numerous private universities and colleges.
(This article is based on reports from Reuters)