SerpApi.Org
(The Center Square) – Compliance with past U.S. Supreme Court rulings, presidential executive orders, and laws both federal and state are being achieved at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University says in response to a federal investigation.
The Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, and agency in the Trump administration led by 1969 ECU graduate Linda McMahon, didn’t give details. It did reference opposition to “racial quotas” and policies on diversity, equity and inclusion.
A reasonable conclusion is a probe into admissions practices based on race.
Last month, final veto override from the state House of Representatives enacted Eliminating “DEI” in Public Education, or Senate Bill 227, and Eliminating “DEI” in Public Higher Ed, or Senate Bill 558. The former is tied to K-12, the latter colleges and universities.
East Carolina, fourth largest of schools in the University of North Carolina system, has enrollment of about 27,000 and draws nearly 24,000 of its students from all 100 counties in the state. Additionally, it boasts of students from 49 states and 73 countries.
The Brody School of Medicine, established in 1974, is known for producing doctors specializing in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrician-gynecologists. Many of the students get training through ECU Health, the adjacent hospital in Greenville and the eastern part of the state's major healthcare facility.
In June 2023 in Students for Fair Housing v. University of North Carolina, the justices ruled 6-3 race cannot be a factor in admissions. Though the court creates buzz as conservative dominant, the nine justices were as diverse as ever with four women, two Blacks and one Latina. Last year, second-term President Donald Trump ordered via memorandum that universities report admissions data by race so diversity statements and racial proxies could be monitored.
In published reports of its response, ECU said, "The university, including the Brody School of Medicine, complies with the Supreme Court ruling in the Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard, related presidential executive orders and other federal, state and UNC System guidance. The university will respond to the Department of Education in accordance with applicable law."
The Harvard case, a 6-2 decision, was ruled at the same time as the UNC case. The majority held that considering race as a distinct "plus factor" in a holistic review process violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Fifteen medical schools had drawn probes from the Civil Rights Division previously. Five more, including East Carolina, joined them Tuesday. Duke University and the Duke Law Journal were investigated last year.
Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for the Civil Rights Division, said in the release, “Your race should not decide whether or not you can study medicine, yet many schools seem to be more focused on meeting racial quotas than selecting individuals who have earned entrance based on merit.”
