Federal civil rights probe targets ECU medical school admissions

The Trump administration has opened a federal civil rights investigation into East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine over allegations of racial discrimination in its admissions process

The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced that Brody is one of five medical schools under investigation for possible violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs receiving federal funding

Federal officials did not identify a specific ECU policy, disclose what prompted the investigation, or provide evidence that the medical school had considered applicants’ race. The department described the inquiry as an effort to determine whether Brody violated federal law, rather than as an announcement of a finding against the university. 

In a statement provided to Carolina Journal, ECU said it complies with the 2023 US Supreme Court ruling restricting the consideration of race in college admissions and will respond to the federal inquiry

“The university, including the Brody School of Medicine, complies with the Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard, related presidential executive orders, and other federal, state, and UNC System guidance,” the statement reads

The other schools included in the latest round of investigations are Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine, St. Louis University School of Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, and William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine. The Department of Education is working with the civil rights offices of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice. 

In a statement announcing the investigation, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said medical school applicants should be evaluated on merit, not race

“Your race should not decide whether or not you can study medicine, yet many schools seem to be more focused on meeting racial quotas than selecting individuals who have earned entrance based on merit,” Richey said

She said the administration would hold schools accountable if investigators determine their admissions policies violate federal law

“Schools that engage in such admissions policies are not only violating the law, but they are also undermining the fundamental principles of fairness and meritocracy that define our nation,” Richey added. “The Trump administration is holding schools to account for their reported discriminatory behavior and will ensure a future where students are once again rewarded for their hard work and achievement, not prejudged by the color of their skin.”

The department did not say whether that allegation was based on evidence collected from Brody or one of the other institutions

The new cases follow 15 medical-school admissions investigations announced by the Justice Department in June. Federal officials said those inquiries would examine whether schools complied with Title VI and the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The Justice Department said at the time that it had not reached conclusions about the institutions under review. 

The Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that admissions systems used by Harvard College and UNC-Chapel Hill violated federal constitutional and civil rights protections. The decision sharply limited universities’ ability to consider an applicant’s race, though schools may still consider how an applicant’s personal experiences affected the qualities or achievements described in an application

President Donald Trump has made enforcement against race-conscious admissions and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs a priority of his second administration. The Department of Education said the latest investigations advance that effort and follow executive orders directing federal agencies to promote merit-based admissions and increase transparency in university selection practices. 

Brody’s published admissions requirements do not list race as a criterion. 

The medical school says its mission is to increase the supply of primary care physicians in North Carolina, with nearly all of its students coming from in-state. About half of its graduates enter primary care specialties, and the school ranks in the top 10% nationally for producing doctors who practice in their home state, work in primary care, or serve underserved areas. 

The investigation comes as the state is investing heavily in Brody’s expansion. A new seven-story medical education center under construction in Greenville is expected to open in 2027 and allow the school to increase its entering class from 100 to as many as 120 students annually. 

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East Carolina UniversityCivil Rights Act of 1964Donald TrumpOffice for Civil RightsUnited States Department of EducationAffirmative action in the United StatesCarolina JournalCollege admissions in the United StatesDartmouth CollegeDiscriminationNorth CarolinaStudents for Fair Admissions v. HarvardSupreme Court of the United StatesUnited States Department of Health and Human ServicesUnited States Department of JusticeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina System
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Source: www.carolinajournal.com