The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a formal investigation into George Mason University on 10 July, acting on a complaint from several faculty members who allege the school’s hiring and promotion practices give unlawful preference to candidates from under-represented groups. The complaint says guidance from GMU President Gregory Washington, as well as the university’s use of 'equity advisers' and an anti-racism task force, prioritise diversity considerations over credentials, potentially violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Craig Trainor, the department’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said GMU’s policies 'appear to champion illegal racial preferencing' and pledged a full review. The inquiry extends the Trump administration’s wider campaign to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at publicly funded universities; George Mason is the second major public institution scrutinised in recent weeks, following a Justice Department probe at the University of Virginia. George Mason University said in a statement that it complies with all federal and state mandates and will cooperate with investigators. The school had renamed, but not dismantled, its DEI office after a January executive order directing universities that receive federal funds to end diversity-based preferences.