Stanford University recently eliminated references to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics on its websites, following President Trump’s anti-DEI executive order that was signed in January.
According to The Stanford Daily, the school scrubbed multiple references to DEI-related topics, including a statement on the university’s “About” page that affirmed “deep respect for diversity in all its forms.”
The school’s page outlining a DEI initiative called “IDEAL,” which stands for “Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in a Learning Environment,” has also been trimmed down.
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An archived version of the page from January includes references to a “Strategic Plan” related to DEI, but that has been removed on the current page.
Other links on the archived page, such as an “IDEAL Dashboard” showing the “composition of the Stanford community” and a link to a page describing “other IDEAL related campus initiatives,” are not on the page currently listed on Stanford’s website.
Last month, Stanford University President Jonathan Levin said that the school would need to “review” DEI programs and that some might need to be “modified” following President Trump’s executive order, according to The Stanford Daily.
In a statement provided to the Stanford Report last fall, Stanford University Provost Jenny Martinez said that the school will continue to work toward upholding “diversity” through “legal means.”
“We are committed to working aggressively to continue seeking diversity through legal means,” Martinez said, “including through the further expansion of our outreach to high-achieving students from underserved populations, and to fostering community for our students here on campus.”
On Feb. 14, the Department of Education (DOE) issued a letter to schools that receive federal funding, including Stanford, warning the schools to avoid racially discriminatory policies, which have been prohibited under Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, a Supreme Court case from 2023.
“Discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is illegal and morally reprehensible,” the DOE’s letter began.
“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families,” the letter continued. “These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia.”
The DOE’s Feb. 14 letter also included a direct critique of DEI programs and policies, saying that such initiatives smuggle “racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming, and discipline.”
Campus Reform has contacted Stanford University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
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