The President of George Mason University (GMU), Gregory Washington, is refusing a federal directive to issue a public apology for what the government found to be unlawful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, according to Campus Reform.
In late August, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) concluded that GMU was in violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by using race as a determining factor in hiring faculty and promotions. The OCR gave the university's President 10 days to issue a personal apology on GMU's website, a revision of their DEI policies, and the appointment of a compliance coordinator.
Washington, rather than comply, published a statement rejecting the directive, writing that his university's DEI programs “are designed to expand opportunity and build inclusive excellence — not to exclude or advantage any group unlawfully.”
Former Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, Washington's attorney, criticized the federal government's investigation, calling its findings "legally unsound." He wrote a letter to GMU's Board of Visitors, describing the demand for an apology from Washington as “a legal fiction” that “borders on the absurd,” arguing that complicity with such action would open the university up to further lawsuits.
Prior to the OCR's investigations, Washington made moves to conceal his university's DEI programs. He dissolved the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), replacing it with the Office for Access and Community Connections (OACC). He ended GMU's “Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence” (ARIE) program, and took DEI-driven statements out of hiring and promotion processes.
The Department of Education began its employment discrimination investigation on July 17th, before broadening its inquiry five days later into admissions, scholarships, and student benefits, as well as its handling of anti-semitism.
George Mason University is a public institution that has embedded racially discriminatory DEI programs into every facet of its operations, and employs dozens of DEI apparatchiks—all on the public dime.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) July 23, 2025
The president of GMU should resign. pic.twitter.com/f5HCfqdzuJ
This is a bombshell from @JohnDSailer: George Mason University categorized potential faculty hires by race, then punished those who did not have the desired skin color. It's time for GMU president Gregory Washington to resign in shame. This is a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/ELy11N3won
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) July 29, 2025
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