The US Department of Education has opened an investigation into Duke University and Duke Law Journal, prompted by allegations that race, color, or national origin may factor into decisions about who joins the law journal. The probe, announced Monday, is rooted in claims that Duke's selection process could run afoul of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in programs receiving federal funds, CNN reports.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. separately sent a letter to Duke School of Medicine and Duke Health "outlining shared concerns about the use of race preferences in Duke's hiring, admissions, and scholarship decisions," the Duke Chronicle reports. Officials want the Durham, North Carolina, university to "provide clear and verifiable assurances" that any policy changes will actually be carried out, even if that means making leadership or personnel shifts.
The university is the latest in a string of schools under scrutiny, following federal funding battles with Harvard and a recent settlement with Columbia. Duke administrators declined to comment Monday on whether the investigations are linked to the Trump administration's reported demands for Duke and other universities to pay millions of dollars before they can access federal funds, reports the Chronicle.