TEMPE, AZ — The U.S. Department of Justice has announced a new Title VI investigation into allegations of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices at Arizona State University.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the DOJ says recent viral videos indicate ASU “denied equal treatment to students based on race, color, or national origin – while attempting to hide its discriminatory practices from federal scrutiny — prompted the investigation.”
“No student should be denied access to opportunities or resources because of race, color, or national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The United States is committed to keeping universities free of unlawful discrimination — especially when they try to hide illegal conduct to avoid oversight and compliance.”
Under the new federal law, colleges and universities that receive federal funding are required to “open their doors to students on an equal basis, regardless of race, color, or national origin,” according to the DOJ.
The DOJ says it will investigate whether ASU subjects students to illegal discrimination through DEI policies in admissions, recruitment, scholarships, tutoring, and the provision of educational support.
ASU provided the following statement to ABC15 regarding the investigation:
Arizona State University complies fully with federal law and does not discriminate in admissions. Not only would doing so violate Arizona Board of Regents and ASU policy, but ASU has since 2010 operated under a state constitutional provision that prohibits preferential treatment or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public education. ASU is aware of the Department of Justice’s press release regarding an investigation and of the “recent viral videos” referred to in it. The university has no comment on these videos, as ASU does not comment on secret video recordings of its employees who are not authorized to speak on behalf of the university.”
The ABC15 Investigators verified that the videos referenced in the press release are from a non-profit called Accuracy in Media (AIM).