Since before President Trump took office, legal experts have suggested that the administration could use the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to advance the president’s goal of eliminating DEI policies at educational institutions. In February 2025, OCR issued a “Dear Colleague” letter (DCL) addressing race discrimination, DEI, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. DCLs are meant to inform educational institutions about OCR’s interpretation of federal civil rights law and how it will investigate violations. The February 2025 DCL stands as the Trump Education Department’s first direct challenge to DEI programming in higher education.
Investigative Overreach on Campus: Faculty Perspectives and Strategies for Improvement
Review of Professors Speak Out: The Truth about Campus Investigations, edited by Nicholas H. Wolfinger (Academica Press, 2025)
Martha McCaughey
August 18, 2025
