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Education

Seattle University faces federal civil rights probe

By Emerald City Wire staff · October 30, 2026 · 1 min read

Red Seattle University sign on a stone wall near a tree-lined campus entrance. — Seattle University, a Jesuit Catholic institution in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, is under a federal civil rights investigation opened by the U.S. Department of Education following a discrimination complaint. Wikimedia-PCN02WPS (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Department of Education has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Seattle University following a discrimination complaint.

The department announced the probe on Thursday, Oct. 29, according to KIRO 7.

KIRO 7's report did not include details about the complaint, and the department had not responded to the station's inquiry as of publication.

Seattle University is a Jesuit, Catholic university. The investigation opens less than two months into the tenure of Dr. Maura Mast, who became the university's 23rd president and first woman to lead the school on Sept. 1, according to a university announcement in June. Dr. Mast was previously dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill at Fordham University.

No public statement from Seattle University about the investigation appears in KIRO 7's report.

The probe is not the only federal civil rights investigation into a Washington state school. KIRO 7 reported the department earlier in 2026 launched an investigation into a Pride display at an elementary school in Bothell, alleging it contained a vial of testosterone.

KIRO 7 reported it is awaiting a response from the Department of Education.

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Roveena Chand Jassal

Roveena Chand Jassal

Editor, Surround Sound Media

Roveena Chand Jassal is Surround Sound Media's very first news producer with a vibrant background in magazine and print journalism herself. Starting off in beauty and fashion at Women's Health Magazine and featuring my own mom and friends in an InStyle South Asian beauty traditions feature, I knew I had a passion for shining light on multicultural voices, especially growing up in the Chicago suburbs. After attending fashion shows in Miami and trying out products for Black Friday deals, I had a desire to do more serious reporting, and found myself being the youngest Punjabi Sikh journalist at Toronto Star. It was here where I really felt a connection to the diverse community I serve, from running around on the ground investigating international students being exploited for overpriced housing to amplifying those same students who have been able to find peace and confidence in the city's growing Hip Hop scene. I've had the opportunity to interview major celebrities, government officials, businesses, and creators, but what I enjoy most of all is being a contradicting human being because this truth is what allows me to pick and produce real stories that give a community true knowledge of their contradicting human being selves too.

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