See our previous coverage of W&L’s response to the Trump administration’s DEI mandates here.
The Department of Education sent a letter to all federally funded schools requiring them to end programs that increase or promote diversity.
The letter draws on the 2023 Supreme Court case that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Craig Trainor, the education department’s assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in the letter that the decision applies more broadly than college admissions. It prohibits the consideration of race in “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life,” he wrote.
Schools cannot take actions to increase racial diversity or reach a racial balance in any way, Trainor wrote. This includes using personal essays, extracurricular participation or other cues to determine a student’s race in admissions decisions.
“Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them — particularly during the last four years — under the banner of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’ smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline,” Trainor wrote.
The letter, sent on Feb. 14, gave all federally funded schools two weeks to remove race-related programming.
“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” Trainor wrote.
Even though Washington and Lee University is a private institution, it received just over $2.1 million in federal grants and funding in 2024, said Steve McAllister, W&L’s Treasurer and Vice President for Finance and Administration. About $1.8 million of that funding supports student financial aid through Pell Grants, work study and other need-based grants. The other $300,000 comes from federal agencies to support research.
Three weeks have passed since the letter was sent. In that time, 256 college campuses have made changes to DEI programs, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, such as renaming or removing departments, clubs and jobs that are related to racial diversity.
Washington and Lee is not on the Chronicle’s list. Websites for DEI programs at W&L, such as the Office of Inclusion and Engagement and the DeLaney Center, remain live. The university has not yet made any official or public changes to programs related to race.
“Washington and Lee is committed to advancing our educational mission, and to implementing our Strategic Plan, in full compliance with the law,” said President Will Dudley in an emailed statement to the Phi. “Our students, faculty, and staff contribute a wide variety of life experiences and perspectives to our campus, which makes us a better university. We are dedicated to supporting the success of every member of our community.”
