Commentary

Complaint Against Washington University in St. Louis Prompts a New Type of Referral from the Office for Civil Rights

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • January 12, 2023
  • Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

In response to a federal civil rights complaint filed against Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) for the School of Medicine’s discriminatory Faculty Diversity Scholars Program, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has referred the case to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – a first for Do No Harm’s OCR filings. Citing “government-wide regulations,” OCR sent the case to the St. Louis EEOC district office for investigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the bases of race, color, national origin, sex, and religion.

Faculty Diversity Scholars Program at WUSTL School of Medicine.

In WUSTL’s own words, the goal of the program is “to provide incentives to departments and programs that hire and retain faculty” from racial and ethnic populations that have been defined as “underrepresented in medicine” or “underrepresented in research.”

Considering the clear illegality of advertising faculty positions that are restricted to only four racial groups, what is the WUSTL School of Medicine thinking? Do No Harm senior fellow Mark Perry, who filed the complaint last July, says he has only seen this conduct in medical education. “Medical schools are so blinded by their obsession with diversity initiatives,” he said, “that they are inexcusably unaware of or unconcerned with their legal obligation to enforce Title VI and Title VII’s prohibitions of discrimination.”

Do No Harm is currently cooperating with the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office as it oversees the inquiry.

If you are aware of discriminatory faculty recruitment, hiring, and retention practices at your school, Do No Harm wants to hear from you via our secure portal.