Overview

• The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights concluded George Mason University violated Title VI and proposed terms requiring a personal apology from President Gregory Washington, retractions of diversity-supporting statements, policy changes, and annual hiring trainings.
• In a letter released Monday, Washington’s attorney, Douglas F. Gansler, rejected the apology demand and disputed OCR’s findings, arguing the probe was truncated, mischaracterized Washington’s remarks, and identified no applicant who was discriminated against.
• OCR opened its investigation on July 10 after multiple professors alleged preferential treatment for underrepresented candidates, and the agency gave GMU 10 days from Friday to accept the proposed agreement.
• GMU’s Board of Visitors called the finding a serious matter and is reviewing the proposal, following earlier actions that curtailed DEI practices, including ending diversity statements in hiring and eliminating programs such as ARIE.
• The Title VI case is one of several federal civil-rights probes into GMU this summer, while the campus AAUP chapter denounced the investigation and urged the university to contest the determination.