Columbus, Ohio – Six current Ohio State University College of Medicine students told Matter News that the Department of Justice’s recent civil‑rights investigation into the school’s admissions practices is “absolute bogus.” The DOJ report, released two weeks ago, accuses the college of discriminating against white and Asian applicants by favoring Black and Hispanic students through its so‑called “Holistic Approach.”
Students dispute the findings
When asked whether they believed the DOJ’s conclusions, one student laughed and said, “The results are absolute bogus. The class composition shows a clear majority of white and Asian members, so the claim of discrimination does not hold up.” Another student, Maya Dunson, a third‑year who serves as the school’s student council director of diversity and inclusion, noted that Black enrollment has been declining, but emphasized that the school’s mission to serve a diverse patient population remains essential.
“We have a very, very diverse population in Columbus,” Dunson said. “It’s heavily minority, with a large immigrant and refugee community. When patients see doctors who share their background, they feel more comfortable and are more likely to seek care.” She cited the Noor Community Clinic, which serves Muslim and Arabic‑speaking patients, and La Clinica Latina, which serves Spanish‑speaking patients, as examples of how a diverse medical workforce improves health outcomes.
DOJ’s rationale and the administration’s response
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said the investigation aims to protect American students from “discriminatory and illegal preferences in admissions – especially in professions as critical as medicine.” The Trump administration has long championed educational reforms that curb DEI programs, eliminate the Department of Education, and reduce federal student‑loan burdens. Those policies have empowered states like Ohio to pass anti‑DEI legislation, such as Senate Bill 1 in 2025, which limited diversity mandates at public universities.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson confirmed that the probe focuses solely on admissions, not on the quality of medical training. He added that Ohio State has already taken steps to scale back its DEI office in anticipation of state legislation.
Why students think the probe matters
Students expressed a range of theories about the DOJ’s interest. Dunson suggested the investigation may be a reaction to the school’s pride in its diversity, while another student blamed the administration’s “control‑F habit” of targeting the word DEI. A third student noted that Ohio State, as a public land‑grant university in a traditionally red state with supportive GOP lawmakers, could be seen as a “target‑rich environment” for federal scrutiny.
Despite the controversy, many students defended the academic merit of underrepresented minorities. “Black students at Ohio State College of Medicine have a fantastic history of success and are some of the smartest, most successful students that we have,” one student said. “If you look at who we have in our classes, there’s no argument that these students aren’t among the best.”
Broader context
The DOJ’s investigation of Ohio State follows similar probes of UCLA and Yale and signals a broader federal effort to examine race‑based admissions policies at elite institutions. The Trump administration’s education agenda, which includes ending DEI mandates and restoring parental‑rights protections, aligns with the students’ view that admissions should focus on merit and the ability to serve diverse communities, rather than on meeting prescribed demographic quotas.
As the investigation continues, Ohio State students remain confident that their school’s commitment to serving all Columbus residents—regardless of race, ethnicity, or immigration status—will stand the test of federal scrutiny.
Original reporting: Matter News (Columbus) — read the source article.
