George Mason University’s law school has removed webpages related to diversity, equity and inclusion, sparking student criticism and casting doubt on the future of related programs.
Pages related to Antonin Scalia Law School’s DEI Task Force, DEI Advisory Board and overall approach to diversity have vanished following a Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education taking aim at such programs.
In response to this move — which happened without a public explanation — some members of Scalia Law’s student body penned their own letter last week, calling on the school to be more transparent in its decisions and reaffirm its commitment to diversity. A related Change.org petition had earned 183 signatures as of this morning (Tuesday).
“With the Trump Administration’s seeming legal violations and circumvention of the norms of governance — and, more plainly, its attacks on our democracy — Antonin Scalia Law School has remained silent,” the letter says. “At minimum the novelty of these legal issues is worthy of address.”
“Given its proximity to the United States Capitol, its inlets to the branches of power, and its relationships with Supreme Court Justices, this Law School’s silence is unreasonable,” it continues.
In contrast to the law school, GMU itself continues to maintain several DEI-related webpages and programs as the university awaits more specific direction from the federal government.
Institutions around the country are scrambling to respond to the U.S. Department of Education threatening to withhold funding over programs meant to combat racial prejudice and improve diversity. Schools are facing a Feb. 28 deadline to end efforts that President Donald Trump’s administration portrays as “racial discrimination” against white and Asian families.
Despite removing DEI webpages, Scalia Law is still in the process of weighing its options, spokesperson Ken Turchi told ARLnow.
“In light of the recent directives from the new administration, the law school, like other schools, is reviewing its activities,” Turchi said in response to a list of questions about the school’s decisions and the future of its DEI efforts. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have removed relevant website content while we make sure that our activities comply with these new directives.”
“Counsel will be accessed where needed,” he continued. “The Law School remains committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive academic environment open to all.”
Other law schools have made similar moves in recent weeks and months, although not all have gone so far as to remove webpages entirely. Vanderbilt Law, for instance, changed the name of its “Office of Diversity, Equity and Community” to the “Office of Culture & Community” this month, Bloomberg Law reported.
The Education Department’s letter warns against “efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends.”
Until a few days ago, the American Bar Association required law schools to commit to DEI standards. The organization’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted last Friday to pause enforcing this requirement until Aug. 31.
Beginning Feb. 28, the federal government has threatened that “institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding.” But the student letter argues that Scalia Law should continue supporting DEI anyway.
“The arc of history bends towards justice, and we hope George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School does, too,” the letter says. “We urge you to be a leader in justice, and speak out now to defend diversity, equity, and inclusion; our Constitution; democracy; freedom of thought and speech; and the rule of law.”
The law school’s approach to the federal letter contrasts sharply with what GMU as a whole is doing.
The university’s pages related to DEI, Black Lives Matter and an Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force are all still active.
Despite federal warnings, GMU says it doesn’t have enough information to make substantive changes at this point.
“George Mason University will fully comply with any legal requirements and will await clear and specific instructions directly from the federal oversight agencies on how to comply,” spokesperson Paola Duran told ARLnow. “As federal agencies continue to announce new federal funding compliance requirements and as federal courts weigh in, George Mason University is carefully monitoring potential impacts on student affordability, university safety, the integrity of instruction, and ongoing vital research efforts.”
Duran noted, though, that GMU’s Board of Visitors “directed a review of the DEI unit name, roles, and responsibilities” before Trump’s election, back in May 2024. As a result of this undertaking, the university is in the process of merging its Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment with its Leadership Education and Development program.
This will create a new Center for Leadership and Intercultural Engagement, which will combine the initiatives “alongside an increased focus on dialogue across differences and faith-based or spiritual support.”
GMU, like most public universities, relies heavily on federal funding.
In Fiscal Year 2024, federal grants made up $170.8 million of the university’s total research award value of $207.8 million. That same fiscal year, federal funding accounted for about half of all financial aid disbursed to GMU’s 24,000 students: $220.1 million of the university’s total disbursement of $460.4 million.
The law school, meanwhile, has been facing declining enrollment and millions in losses, Higher Ed Dive reported in September. The school, based at GMU’s campus in Virginia Square, lists a student body of about 600 students.
