Belmont University, a prominent Christian college in Nashville, announced that it has hired an outside consultant to review its policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The review comes after House Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican who represents Tennessee, asked the U.S. Department of Education to launch an investigation.
As Christianity Today reports, Rep. Ogles wrote a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to look into the university’s “Hope, Unity, and Belonging” program. Ogles alleges the program is DEI in disguise.
“Belmont University, like all universities, must understand that if they persist in promoting racist DEI programs in violation of their students’ rights, they will be defunded,” Ogles wrote to McMahon.
His letter comes months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that targets DEI programs at universities. Trump says these initiatives and programs violate federal anti-discrimination laws.
Ogles’s letter also accused Harvard, George Mason University, American University, and Northeastern University of rebranding their DEI programs.
He’s not the only political figure raising concerns with Belmont’s program. U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, also accused the university of concealing DEI programs.
“Renaming woke-DEI programs to circumvent compliance and public scrutiny degrades the educational experience of your students and the trust placed in institutions of higher education like Belmont,” she reportedly wrote to Belmont President Greg Jones.
In July, Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also made claims that the school is obstructing immigration law by having undocumented students on campus without presenting proof.
“We’re seeing obstruction against federal immigration law by Belmont University,” WSMV 4 reports she stated during a news conference in Nashville. “As you know, they’ve openly said that they will house illegal immigrants on their campus and do that in defiance of the federal government.”
In a statement to the Religious News Service, a spokesperson for Belmont University said it launched an independent compliance review.
“While we make every effort to ensure compliance and continue to maintain our belief that Belmont complies with all applicable laws, we take seriously the concerns that have been raised,” the statement reads. “With this in mind, we are bringing in an external partner to initiate an independent compliance review.”
Founded in 1890, Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville. Its mission statement on the university’s website reads, “We are a Christ-centered, student-focused community, dedicated to developing diverse leaders of purpose, character, wisdom, and transformational mindset, eager and equipped to make the world a better place.”