The administration of former President Donald Trump first initiated the investigation. Now they have turned their eyes and advocacy toward ending the UC system’s discriminatory hiring practices. This inquiry marks a continuation of the administration’s contentious relationship with U.S. universities, particularly during Trump’s second term in office, where clashes over various policies have been frequent.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, under the direction of Harmeet Dhillion, is heading up the probe. Dhillion stated that “public employers are bound by federal laws that prohibit racial and other employment discrimination,” underscoring the administration’s focus on alleged race and sex-based discrimination within the UC system. This investigation is part of a national effort by the Trump administration to strip away diversity programs at schools and universities. They say that these initiatives are racially discriminatory practices.
Civil rights advocates are right to be cynical about the Trump administration’s latest attempts to bully schools and colleges into further submission to its political goals. The investigation into the UC system appears to be part of a larger pattern wherein the administration has aggressively targeted universities, labeling them as “hotbeds of left-wing ideas and political dissent.” This story lines up with the administration’s past M.O. Sheesh—no wonder they’ve been revoking foreign students’ visas and threatening universities with loss of their tax-exempt status.
On the first day of his second term, Trump acted boldly. So far, he’s purged all “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) initiatives from the federal workforce. This move was widely viewed as an effort to shift away from initiatives perceived as favoring certain demographic groups over others. Trump’s vision is a “merit-based society.” In this ideal society, hiring would be based purely on merit and qualifications, without regard to someone’s race or gender.
The probe comes on the heels of several cases where foreign students involved in pro-Palestine protests were arrested and had their visas revoked. Among them was Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student whose visa was cancelled by the administration’s harsh policies.
Harmeet Dhillion emphasized the legal implications surrounding diversity initiatives, stating that “institutional directives that use race- and sex-based hiring practices expose employers to legal risk under federal law.” This tagline embodies the administration’s desire to eliminate any practices they find to be unfair or discriminatory.
The result has led the UC system to respond in leaps and bounds to the investigation. A spokesperson stated, “The University of California is committed to fair and lawful processes in all of our programs and activities, consistent with federal and state anti-discrimination laws.” They further underscored their commitment to improving the campus climate for everyone.
Given all of this, it’s striking that the Trump Administration has not said a single public word about the ongoing investigation into the UC system. His administration has made it clear that it views the current higher education landscape as one that requires significant reform.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, reiterated the administration’s stance: “It’s the position of this president that we want to restore a merit-based society and culture in the United States of America where people are not hired, nor are they promoted, based on the colour of their skin or their gender.”
As this investigation continues, it remains to be seen whether it has any effects on future hiring practices throughout the University of California system. It would provide a model for looking more closely and critically at institutions of higher education all across the country.
