George Mason University President Rejects Education Department's Apology Demand

George Mason University's president will not apologize to fulfill nan request of nan Department of Education, which said it had wished nan assemblage has violated national civilian authorities law, according to a missive obtained by NBC News.

The missive says nan national department’s conclusions, published Friday, make it “glaringly evident that nan [Office of Civil Rights] investigation process has been trim short, and ‘findings’ person been made successful spite of a very incomplete fact-finding process.”

Attorney Douglas Gansler, who wrote and sent nan missive to nan Virginia school’s Board of Visitors connected behalf of George Mason University President Gregory Washington, said that some Washington and nan committee are “far from needing to apologize.”

"To beryllium clear, per OCR’s ain findings, nary occupation applicant has been discriminated against by GMU, nor has OCR attempted to sanction personification who has been discriminated against by GMU successful immoderate context," nan missive stated. "Therefore, it is simply a ineligible fabrication for OCR to moreover asseverate aliases declare that location has been a Title VI aliases Title IX usurpation here."

It argues nan OCR's allegation that George Mason engages successful discriminatory practices "borders connected nan absurd."

The Department of Education’s civilian authorities agency did not instantly respond to a petition for remark Monday.

The section recovered nan assemblage successful usurpation of Title VI of nan Civil Rights Act for allegedly illegally "using title and different immutable characteristics successful assemblage practices and policies, including hiring and promotion."

The Trump management first opened nan civilian authorities investigation into nan school's hiring practices in July. On Friday, nan Office of Civil Rights said it gave nan schoolhouse a projected statement pinch a 10-day deadline to voluntarily resoluteness nan alleged violations.

As portion of nan projected solution agreement, nan agency said it would require Washington to personally merchandise a connection to nan assemblage organization affirming compliance pinch Title VI, arsenic good arsenic apologize for “promoting unlawful discriminatory practices successful hiring, promotion, and tenure processes.”

But Gansler's missive based on an apology would magnitude to nan schoolhouse admitting it violated nan law.

"An apology will magnitude to an admittance that nan assemblage did thing unlawful, opening GMU and nan Board up to ineligible liability for behaviour that did not hap nether nan Board’s watch," nan missive said.

George Mason's Board of Visitors successful a connection Friday said it was reviewing circumstantial projected solution steps.

Gansler's missive says nan assemblage has “moved swiftly” to guarantee continued compliance pinch caller national mandates since President Donald Trump began his 2nd term, including nan cessation of affirmative action programs for women and minorities, nan dissolution of nan university’s Office for Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and a reappraisal of diverseness statements connected occupation postings.

It adds that astatine slightest 17 positions associated pinch DEI efforts person been eliminated aliases restructured and respective diversity-related programs and initiatives person been dissolved.

“Well earlier nan national authorities turned its attraction to GMU, nan university, nether Dr. Washington and nan Board’s leadership, undertook a robust effort to enactment up of nan curve and make galore of nan changes now being demanded of universities,” it says.

In nan letter, Gansler besides requests that he beryllium portion of discussions regarding nan university's consequence to nan Education Department's demands.

“The travel toward striking immoderate statement pinch OCR must statesman pinch a shared group of facts, which we do not yet have," nan missive reads.