RICHMOND — Virginia’s Secretary of Education has directed the boards that govern the state’s public colleges to root out all forms of racial discrimination on campus.
In a letter she wrote Saturday to college presidents and board members, directed each university’s board of visitors to investigate their school’s admissions, hiring and other practices and to end any practice that contains racial preference.
Her instructions double down on a of President Donald Trump to eliminate the practice of DEI, or diversity equity and inclusion, from colleges and industries throughout the country.
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At least one college, Virginia Commonwealth University, it is generally in compliance and will continue examining its practices.
In response to a federal letter, VCU leaders said they determined the school is "generally aligned" with its instructions and that the school is dedicated to creating an environment free from discrimination.
In January, the Trump administration issued an executive order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," in which he said industries and government agencies – including colleges – under the guise of DEI, were using race- and sex-based preferences that violate civil rights laws.
Then last month, the federal Department of Education wrote to schools and colleges, saying colleges in particular have discriminated through admissions, scholarships, hiring, promotions, housing and other aspects of college life. It said schools have discriminated against white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia,” the department wrote.
2023 ruling
In a landmark decision in 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that Harvard University’s use of racial preference in admission decisions was unconstitutional. The decision required colleges throughout the country to accept and deny students without directly knowing their race. Defenders of affirmative action worried that selective colleges, such as the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary, would become more white.
At William & Mary, the number of new minority students decreased last fall, the first year after the decision went into effect, but only slightly. According to the university, 32% of the 2024 freshman class were students of color, down from 34% one year earlier. Tim Wolfe, the school's dean of admission, said it's hard to draw conclusions from one year of data.
Last month, the Department of Education gave K-12 schools and colleges 14 days to align their policies with the law. All institutions that did not follow instructions risked losing federal funding. While Virginia colleges receive most of their direct funding from the state, their students depend on federal loans and grants to pay the cost of tuition, and the federal government funds a large percentage of VCU’s research programs.
In response to the federal letter, VCU leaders said they determined the school is "generally aligned" with the letter’s instructions and that the school is dedicated to creating an environment free from discrimination. But the university still needs to examine its strategic plan, titled Quest 2028, which notes that the university will champion DEI "in all that we do."
"In some instances, further evaluation is needed," the university said. "In other places, changes will be made." The university did not offer details on what changes it will make.
At a meeting last fall, members of VCU’s board of visitors debated DEI’s value at VCU.
"A lot of people in the DEI field are questioning it – which is a good thing," said Dr. Kenneth Lipstock. Gov. Glenn Youngkin nominated him to the VCU board last year.
But Tyrone Nelson, originally nominated by then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe, said institutional constructs have held down people of color, and universities must be cognizant of that. "For years, we worked to make this an inclusive university," he said last year. "What I loved about VCU is this was a place for everybody. I hope over the next couple of years, we don’t change who we have been."
VCU is one of the state’s most diverse colleges – about 40% of its students are white, and 43% are Black, Asian or Latino. VCU accepted 93% of applicants last year. Only 13% of VCU faculty members in 2023 were underrepresented minorities – a number that has increased since before the pandemic.
“VCU keeps becoming more diverse, and we love it, and it’s not going away,” VCU president Michael Rao said last year.
In Guidera's letter, which the Richmond Times-Dispatch obtained, the secretary called on the governing boards of each school to review all practices that could violate federal law. She directed each board to address the situation in its next meeting.
At each of the state’s 15 public universities a governing board of visitors makes major decisions for the school, such as setting the price of tuition and hiring and firing the president. The governor nominates their members.
“Your boards have an obligation to ensure every student attending a Virginia institution of higher education has an educational environment that is free of discrimination,” Guidera wrote.
