The House committee is currently discussing the impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies on medical school admissions and patient care. This follows accusations from the Justice Department regarding UCLA’s alleged preferential treatment towards Black and Hispanic applicants. Meanwhile, questions are brought before the deans of major medical schools about these allegations.
In a related issue, the Justice Department is probing whether Harvard University accepted foreign donations that could have unfairly advantaged students from China over American students. Concerns have been raised that some donors might have imposed restrictions based on nationality for financial aid, potentially breaching Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. This Act prohibits federally funded institutions from discrimination based on national origin.
Every American student should have an equal opportunity to compete for college scholarships, grants, and other kinds of financial aid and benefits,
said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon. She reaffirmed the illegality of accepting foreign funds with restrictions favoring non-American students in allocation decisions.
The Justice Department has initiated an investigation into the claim that Harvard allowed Chinese donors to channel funds specifically for Chinese students. This could potentially compromise the opportunities available to other nationalities, including U.S. students. Officials emphasize that the review is ongoing, and no final conclusions have been reached yet. Specific scholarships or donor names have not been disclosed.
Harvard asserts that its financial aid policies comply with federal civil rights law and do not breach the provisions under Title VI concerning race, ethnicity, or national origin.
Federal law mandates colleges to report foreign gifts and contracts worth at least $250,000. A Civil Rights Division audit disclosed that Harvard reported over $4.5 billion in foreign funding, with more than $630 million coming from China, marking it as the university’s largest foreign contributor.
Some of these private contributions are earmarked for students from designated countries. For instance, in 2014, SOHO China co-founders Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin made a $15 million donation to aid Chinese students at Harvard. The DOJ has not specified whether this donation is under investigation.
This inquiry is one among several ongoing issues the Trump administration has with Harvard. The university is also under examination for alleged antisemitism, admissions processes, and its treatment of international students. A federal judge previously prevented the administration from withholding billions in research funds amid related lawsuits.
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