Virginia Tech Bans University-Funded Affinity Graduations

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has banned university-funded “identity-based Graduation Achievement Ceremonies,” the institution announced on its website. The Virginian-Pilot reported the news Thursday, though the university made the announcement Jan. 26.

“The decision aligns with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which states that federal civil rights law prohibits using race in decisions related to graduation ceremonies and cautions that such practices may be perceived as segregation,” the university said in its announcement. But it’s unclear what guidance it was referencing.

A year ago, the Office for Civil Rights told universities that identity-based graduations were illegal. “In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies,” the office wrote in a Dear Colleague letter. Some universities canceled similar ceremonies.

But, last April, a federal judge blocked the department from enforcing that guidance and, on Jan. 21—five days before Virginia Tech’s statement—the department gave up defending it.

A Virginia Tech spokesperson told Inside Higher Ed that recognized student organizations can still use nonuniversity funds to host the events on campus. The university’s online statement said, “Student groups planning events for graduating seniors should contact the appropriate scheduling office, such as Event Services, by the end of January.”

In an email, the university spokesperson said, “Virginia Tech decided to end its graduation achievement ceremonies to ensure that we are compliant with the law. We will continue to seek ways to celebrate the academic accomplishment of all our students in ways that [are] consistent with current law and are open to all members of the university community.”