Justice Dept Probing Another University Over Racially-Based Hiring Goals

The Department of Justice opened up an investigation into George Mason University on Thursday over employment practices that may discriminate against white people and men.

In a letter to the university, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated that the investigation would focus on whether the university had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which addresses employment discrimination.

“It is unlawful and un-American to deny equal access to employment opportunities on the basis of race and sex,” Dhillon said. “When employers screen out qualified candidates from the hiring process, they not only erode trust in our public institutions — they violate the law, and the Justice Department will investigate accordingly.”

Dhillon’s letter said that the actions of University President Gregory Washington were the focus of the investigation.

“The investigation stems from statements and policies made by the University’s president, which indicate that race and sex are motivating factors in faculty hiring and other employment decisions to achieve ‘diversity’ goals,” the Justice Department said. “Multiple emails and internal documents suggest preferential treatment of certain races and sexes in hiring and other employment practices, including promotion and tenure of faculty members.”

In an email from July 23, 2020, Washington said he wanted to “develop” a “renewal, promotion, and tenure process” to help “faculty of color and women in their professional work.”

In that same email, Washington said that he was working to “develop specific mechanisms in the promotion and tenure process that recognize the invisible and uncredited emotional labor that people of color expend to learn, teach, discover, and work on campus.”

Dhillon also said that the university would intentionally list race on faculty member hiring panels “to ensure greater non-white participation in the hiring process.”

Last week, the Department of Education also launched a Title VII investigation into George Mason over its hiring policies. The investigation was launched after the department received a complaint from multiple professors alleging racial discrimination.

The university denied any wrongdoing in response to the Education Department investigation.

“I can assure you that George Mason has always operated with a commitment to equality under the law, ever since our inception. It is simply the Mason way, and in my experience, it has not discriminated based on race, color, national origin, or otherwise,” Washington said. “Our diversity efforts are designed to expand opportunity and build inclusive excellence – not to exclude or advantage any group unlawfully.”