Arizona State University thought it could pull a fast one. Rebrand the DEI programs, change the name on the door, shuffle some paperwork around, and nobody would notice. The Department of Justice noticed.
They changed the label but kept the discrimination. Brilliant strategy, really. Right up there with putting a mustache on your wanted poster and hoping the cops don't recognize you.
The DOJ's Civil Rights Division announced on June 3 that it has launched a formal Title VI investigation into ASU for allegedly concealing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that discriminate based on race. We're talking about admissions, recruitment, scholarships, tutoring, and educational support — basically every area where a university can put its thumb on the scale.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who heads the Civil Rights Division, didn't mince words. "No student should be denied access to opportunities or resources because of race, color, or national origin," she said.
But the real kicker was her follow-up: "The United States is committed to keeping universities free of unlawful discrimination — especially when they try to hide illegal conduct to avoid oversight and compliance."
Especially when they try to hide it. Read that again.
ASU isn't some small liberal arts college in Vermont. It's one of the nation's largest universities and a major recipient of federal funds. Federal funds. As in, your tax dollars were bankrolling racial discrimination dressed up in a new outfit.
What triggered this investigation wasn't just paperwork — it was viral videos showing race-based discriminatory treatment at the university. The investigative group Accuracy in Media helped shine a light on the problem, with a tweet on June 4 drawing attention to ASU's hidden DEI apparatus.
This is the pattern we're seeing across higher education. The Supreme Court told universities to stop discriminating. Universities said "sure thing" and then just renamed the programs and kept going. Now President Trump's DOJ is kicking down the doors and finding exactly what we all knew was there.
You can rename "DEI" to whatever you want. Call it "Inclusive Excellence." Call it "Student Success Initiatives." Call it "Bob's Discount Equity Warehouse." The DOJ can read, and federal investigators don't care about your rebrand.
The message from this administration is unmistakable: hide it, and we'll find it. And when we find it, we'll investigate it. The era of universities running illegal racial preference programs under cute new names is over.