That Feb. 14 "Dear Colleague" letter indicated that the federal government now considers any support program, scholarship, admissions decision or graduation ceremony that uses race to determine eligibility to be violating federal anti-discrimination laws.

“If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law,” the letter read.

The idea of MSU being investigated by the Department of Education first entered the realm of possibilities after an executive order titled "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," and signed Jan. 21, asked federal agencies to identify up to nine "civil compliance investigations" into universities with endowments larger than $1 billion. MSU, with its $4.4 billion endowment, was eligible for such an inquiry.

The prospect of an investigation materialized when federal agencies began "requesting certification" from MSU that it does not operate any diversity, equity and inclusion programs — "as a condition of receiving federal funding."

The agencies’ prodding spurred MSU’s top lawyer to instruct campus leaders to review their programs to ensure compliance with the government’s interpretation of civil rights law.

However, that request for certification seemingly did not incite a further investigation.

Several Big Ten schools, including Ohio State, the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, are being investigated for their participation in "The Ph.D. Project," an organization that provides support to doctoral students from minority backgrounds. The Department of Education claims the program limits eligibility based on race.

Grand Valley State University, along with six other universities, is being investigated for alleged "impermissible race-based scholarships and race-based discrimination."

It’s unclear if more investigations will follow those announced. The State News attempted to contact the Department of Education’s communications office but was informed via an automated message that the office is temporarily closed.

Earlier this week, over 1,300 Department of Education employees were fired, effectively halving the department’s staff, as part of Trump’s mass layoffs across the federal government. The cuts have left the state of civil rights probes into MSU in limbo.