As the federal government’s scrutiny of diversity-focused programs on college campuses intensifies, one attorney is warning that the fight may be extending beyond admissions policies and into student support systems designed to help young people succeed.
“Why can’t we properly educate all of our students?” asks political law attorney Nicole Robinson.
That question, posed by Robinson in a recent social media video, has become the emotional centerpiece of a broader conversation unfolding around higher education, race, and the future of mentorship programs serving historically underrepresented students.
Robinson criticized the Department of Justice’s investigation into programs including the Black Male Initiative at the City University of New York, arguing that efforts intended to provide guidance and support for students are now being viewed through an increasingly contentious legal and political lens.
“The Trump DOJ is trying to stop Black men from receiving mentorship in college,” Robinson said in the video. “This is one of the most cynical things that I’ve ever seen from the Justice Department.”
The comments come after the Justice Department announced it had opened an investigation into CUNY following allegations that the university system’s Black Male Initiative may provide educational opportunities based on race.
The program, according to CUNY’s public materials, was established to improve enrollment, academic performance and graduation outcomes for students historically underrepresented in higher education.
The initiative supports mentoring, tutoring and academic services across numerous CUNY campuses and states that participation is open regardless of race or gender.
Still, federal officials have signaled concerns over whether programs with race-focused missions may conflict with federal civil rights law.
“Race can never play a role when deciding how to distribute educational resources or opportunities,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a statement announcing the investigation.
The probe reflects a wider effort by the administration to challenge diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education. Federal scrutiny has also touched institutions and programs connected to universities including Yale, Arizona State University and New York University.
Robinson argued that the issue reaches far beyond a single mentorship initiative.
“This is all about fear,” she said. “They want institutions of higher education to be afraid to admit Black students and to support Black students.”
Supporters of programs like the Black Male Initiative say mentorship and academic support structures have long played a critical role in helping students navigate educational systems where disparities in graduation rates and access to resources have persisted for decades.
Critics, however, maintain that any program perceived as distributing opportunities through racial preferences raises legitimate questions about fairness and equal treatment under the law.
The debate also carries significant financial stakes. During a recent budget hearing, CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez confirmed that the university system receives substantial federal support, including grants that have already faced cuts.
University figures show CUNY has received hundreds of millions of dollars through federal student aid and grant programs in recent years, while more than half of its students rely on federal financial assistance.
For Robinson, the larger concern is what happens if institutions begin stepping back from support programs out of legal uncertainty.
“The Civil Rights Act was created in part because this country spent centuries denying Black Americans opportunities,” she said. “Now the administration is using that same law to target a mentorship program.”
As universities across the country reassess diversity initiatives under mounting legal pressure, the battle increasingly appears to be moving from admissions offices into classrooms, mentorship spaces and student support networks, places many students consider essential to not just getting into college, but making it through.
