The University of North Carolina System, which oversees 17 schools, voted to repeal its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy this week.
The UNC Board of Governors voted to reverse a policy adopted in 2019 that aimed to “foster an inclusive environment” by requiring “each school to submit diversity and inclusion reports to the board of trustees every year,” per CNN. The new adopted policy will instead require UNC schools to “ensure equality of all persons & viewpoints” while promoting “nondiscrimination in employment practices.” The policy also mandates that all UNC schools comply with the North Carolina General Assembly’s recent amendments that limit what can be discussed on issues of race relations.
Board secretary Pearl Burris-Floyd expressed support for the new change ahead of the vote, saying that DEI offered too many flaws “that has hurt the fabric and ability to carry things forward.” Board member Gene Davis said that while DEI helped certain marginalized groups, it also made the school system less welcoming.
Students work on assignments and listen to organizers as they sit inside the encampment protest in Polk Place on University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera, File)
“I have been made aware of things that have been done in the name of DEI that make me uncomfortable and that I believe actually result in our university communities being less welcoming to all,” Davis said.
Students gathered outside the vote to protest the decision, and at least two arrests were made.
“Truly this administration has failed us, and it will continue to fail generations of students who saw opportunity in diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said student Pragya Upreti.
Chantal Stevens, executive director of the ACLU of North Carolina, called the vote “deeply troubling.”
“Our university campuses must be environments where students feel included and are able to fully engage academically, and DEI programs serve an important role in achieving this,” Stevens wrote in a statement.
“Pulling funding from these programs undermines these efforts and sends a worrying message about how committed our universities are to protecting the rights of students to be free from discrimination on the basis of their race, ethnicity, disability, or other protected classes,” Stevens added.
As Breitbart News reported, the vote comes after the UNC Chapel Hill Board voted to end its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in the wake of massive anti-Israel demonstrations on campus.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators replace an American flag with a Palestinian flag on April 30, 2024, at UNC-Chapel Hill. (Travis Long/News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“The unanimous decision by the trustees will reallocate $2.3 million that the university spends on DEI programs toward police and public safety measures as part of its annual budget approval process,” noted Fox News, adding:
The proposed policy change would impact a diversity, equity and inclusion regulation adopted in 2019. It defines the roles of various DEI positions – such as a system office diversity and inclusion liaison and diversity officers across the university system – and the establishment of a diversity and inclusion council made up of members representing each university, according to the policy.
David Boliek, UNC Board Chair, later told News & Observer that the university has suffered from “administrative bloat,” believing that jobs will be cut as a result of severing the DEI programs. He did, however, specify that the university had been considering the policy change before the anti-Israel protests that rocked the campus and so many others this past month.
“My personal opinion is that there’s administrative bloat in the university,” Boliek said. “Any cuts in administration and diverting of dollars to rubber-meets-the-road efforts like public safety and teaching is important.”
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