George Mason University’s board looks to negotiate with Trump administration

Ifeyinwa Susan Francis

The governing body of George Mason University wants a resolution of claims from the U.S. Department of Education that their public institution violated civil rights law.

The public university’s president has come under fire by the Trump administration support for diversity.

George Mason University’s governing board said late last week that it wants to negotiate with the Trump administration to resolve claims that it violated civil rights law.

In late August, the U.S. Department of Education alleged that George Mason has illegally used race and other protected characteristics in hiring and elevations.

A conclusion was reached just six weeks after the agency announced a probe into the university.

The attorney for university President Gregory Washington, who is at the center of the probe, has terminated the agency’s allegations, describing them as ”a legal fiction.”

Washington’s attorney will also be involved in talks with the Education Department, according to the board’s statement.