Highlights

• Harvard accused of spending $49 million in federal funds on unlawful DEI programmes.
• Civil rights complaint filed by America First Legal, citing violations of Title VI, Title IX, and the 2023 Supreme Court ruling.
• Complaint seeks DOJ investigation into Harvard’s admissions, hiring, and DEI funding practices.

A civil rights complaint has been filed against Harvard University, accusing the Ivy League institution of using at least $49 million in federal funding to support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes that critics argue are unlawful.

The complaint, filed by America First Legal (AFL), claims Harvard is violating Title VI and Title IX as well as the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that banned race-based affirmative action.

According to AFL, Harvard has engaged in what they call “rebranding tactics,” shutting down its Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Strategic Belonging and replacing it with the Office for Community and Campus Life.

Read More: DOJ Memo Calls on Federal Grant Recipients to End DEI Practices

However, the group argues that despite the name changes, the substance of its DEI practices has remained the same. These practices, AFL alleges, continue through admissions essays, internships, clerkships, and Harvard Medical School’s residency programmes.

The complaint highlights several examples of federal grants that have been channelled into DEI-related projects.

This includes $21.9 million awarded to Harvard Medical School’s Clinical and Translational Science Center to diversify its workforce, $8.9 million to doctoral and medical programmes that call DEI a priority, $1.7 million for a study linking climate factors and health disparities, and $1.3 million for climate justice initiatives in marginalised communities.

AFL argues that such funding prioritises certain groups based on race or identity, which it says amounts to unlawful discrimination.

The filing further notes that Harvard continues to use diversity-based essay prompts in its admissions process, pointing to publicly shared examples earlier this year.

AFL claims that instead of complying with federal law, Harvard has chosen to “rename, repackage, and redeploy” the same policies.

Also Read: Federal Judge Lets Alabama DEI Ban Stay in Effect

As a result, AFL has requested that the Department of Justice conduct a full investigation into Harvard’s admissions, scholarships, hiring, and research practices. The group also suggested that Harvard’s accreditation may be at risk if these practices continue.

So far, neither Harvard University nor the Justice Department’s civil rights division has issued a response to the complaint.

Ends/

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