Leah Millis/Reuters
Under pressure from the Trump administration, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has agreed to end its use of race in its admissions decisions, The Wall Street Journal reports. The agency launched an investigation into the school in 2005, after a complaint was made by Roger Clegg of the Center for Equal Opportunity, which is against affirmative action. The newspaper reports that it is the first time the Trump administration has requested a school to “curtail its affirmative-action practices.” An Education Department spokeswoman told The Washington Post that the agency did not require the school to completely disregard race in admissions, but said Texas Tech must adhere to the limits set by the Supreme Court. The school decided to stop using race on its own accord, the spokeswoman reportedly said. The university did not respond to requests for comment.
The agency is currently investigating Harvard and Yale’s treatment of Asian-American applications after it revoked Obama-era affirmative action guidelines last year. According to the Journal, the Justice Department filed a brief in support of plaintiffs who claim Harvard was holding Asian-Americans to a “higher standard” in its admissions process.