By Kanishka Singh and Andrew Hay
WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration has reached a settlement deal with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to close 18 federal probes over alleged race discrimination and antisemitism at the university.
Trump has targeted universities with probes and funding-suspension threats over pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel's assault on Gaza, diversity initiatives, transgender policies and climate programs, leading
to free speech, due process and academic freedom concerns.
The voluntary settlement agreement released by both parties does not require a monetary settlement payment and will remain effective until the end of 2028. UNC did not admit to any wrongdoing or liability and the deal maintained its eligibility for federal funding.
The agreement said UNC will appoint an internal administrator and establish a coordinator position in its compliance office to address discrimination, including antisemitism. The agreement asks UNC to provide mandatory antisemitism training to students, faculty and staff.
The university said Elizabeth Hall, associate vice chancellor for university compliance, was appointed to serve in both roles while being the point of contact for the Justice Department and overseeing UNC's reporting obligations under the deal.
The agreement prohibited face masks or coverings concealing an individual's identity during protests. It said student groups "shall be subject to discipline for antisemitic discriminatory conduct."
Trump has alleged pro-Palestinian protesters are antisemitic and support extremism.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say opposing Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and its assault on Gaza is not antisemitic and advocacy for Palestinian rights does not imply supporting extremism.
A former Justice Department attorney said in a whistleblower complaint in August the Trump administration's probes of universities over antisemitism accusations lacked evidence and had predetermined outcomes.
The settlement deal said UNC will adopt and maintain "non-discriminatory" admissions policies and "not use any racial proxy."
It does not prevent UNC from considering how applicants overcame adversity at a personal level and it may consider facets of family background like poverty if those considerations are applied consistently, the deal said.
The Justice Department said that on a quarterly basis, UNC will send any antisemitism and race discrimination complaints it has received to the US Justice and Education departments.
The Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at colleges in 2023 when it struck down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and UNC.
Trump has cracked down on diversity initiatives, casting them as discriminatory against white people and men. Civil rights advocates say they help marginalized groups like ethnic minorities, LGBT communities and women.
The government has also settled with some other schools.
Last year, Columbia University agreed to pay more than $200 million to the government to resolve probes and Brown University said it would pay $50 million to support local workforce development under a settlement.
Harvard has yet to make a deal.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)
