The Trump administration is looking into two universities that receive federal funds, amid claims they are infringing civil rights laws with their race-based student housing options.
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which received more than $322 million in federal funding for the fiscal year 2024, there are five so-called “Defined Residential Communities.” These communities allow students to reside with peers who share similar backgrounds and interests.
These defined communities include: an Asian/Asian-American DRC, a disability DRC, a “Latinx” DRC intended for Hispanic students, a “Harambee” DRC for Black students, and a “Spectrum” DRC catering to LGBTQ+ individuals.
The University of Nevada, Reno has a related initiative called “Living Learning Communities,” which received over $520 million in active federal awards as of summer 2025. These communities are also marketed as spaces for students to connect over similar academic, social, and cultural interests.
Among their identity-based Living Learning Communities are those for Asian Pacific Islanders, Black students, LGBT students, Indigenous students, and those identifying as “Latinx.” These groups are positioned on specific floors designated for their communities.
In 2023, Dean Kennedy, who oversees residential life, stated that it’s vital for student participants’ safety that only individuals identifying with that community are allowed to reside there. Although the university later said Kennedy misspoke, the identity-focused communities continue to exist.
The Equal Protection Project, a monitoring group that works under the Legal Insurrection Foundation, filed civil rights complaints against these universities with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in July.
The allegations suggest that both institutions’ housing programs direct students based on race and ethnicity, breaching the Fair Housing Act.
The Fair Housing Act forbids discrimination in housing sales, rentals, and associated services based on various categories, including race, color, religion, and national origin.
According to these regulations, steering individuals towards particular housing options based on race is explicitly banned, and this liability exists even if other racial or ethnic groups are not physically barred from participating.
The EPP asserted that these housing practices conflict with both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
Ilya Shapiro, who directs constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute, has indicated that fostering “racial separation” in housing is a clear legal violation. He pointed out that while creating space for cultural expression has its merits, recreating Jim Crow-era segregation under the guise of social justice is problematic.
The HUD’s Office of Fair Housing informed the EPP on July 29 that their complaints against the two universities would be investigated under Title VI. They have a legal obligation to wrap up the investigation within 100 days, which means they need to finish or explain the delay by November 6.
The University of Nevada, Reno responded to the news, stating that the community programs are “open to all students who choose to participate” and not exclusive. The university pledged continued compliance with federal civil rights and fair housing laws.
As for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it has not yet commented on the matter.
