The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division, on Tuesday announced that Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) agreed to a voluntary settlement after an investigation found that Jewish students faced discrimination last year.
According to a DOJ press release sent to The Tennessee Star, the Civil Rights Division investigation began after LMU-DCOM denied requests by Jewish students to reschedule classes during religious holidays during the 2025-26 school year, despite granting similar requests from “non-Jewish students who sought the same accommodations.”
In response to objections from Jewish students, the press release states that LMU-DCOM changed its policy to “not accommodate any religious observance requests,” while still allowing excused absences for “professional student leadership obligations” and other secular purposes.
As a result of the settlement, LMU-DCOM has agreed to allow excused absences for religious and secular reasons equally, and confirmed that no students will be penalized for an absence excused for religious purposes. The college will also reverse any penalties issued against students for unexcused religious absences last year.
“Students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds — including Jewish students — should receive the same treatment at our nation’s universities,” Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated. “As its Jewish students prepare this week to observe Yom Kippur, we commend Lincoln Memorial University for its swift action addressing the Department’s concerns regarding discrimination and unequal treatment.”
The DOJ stated that the cooperation means the institution “will remain eligible for federal funding.”
The settlement comes three years after LMU-DCOM was listed among Tennessee medical schools that employed a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) curriculum in a report that revealed medical schools used DEI even when considering admissions and grading students.
Earlier in 2023, faculty at another LMU institution, the Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine, attended a DEI workshop to learn how to incorporate the controversial ideology when treating animals.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Lincoln Memorial University” by Lincoln Memorial University.
