A California-based accreditation organization is exploring the removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language.
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges’ Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) is reviewing the prospects of replacing DEI-based standards with language that emphasizes “success for all students,” as reported by Inside Higher Ed.
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A side-by-side comparison of such potential revisions shows that current language stating that an institution “promotes the success of all students and makes explicit its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion” would be altered to simply read, “promotes institutional excellence and success for all students.”
In a statement on Nov. 26, WSCUC announced it would be considering an update to its 2023 standards.
”A common theme in WSCUC’s review of the implementation and feedback is an interest in greater clarity regarding WSCUC’s expectations for excellence and student success,” the organization wrote. “To ensure that the Standards are easy to understand and apply in practice, WSCUC proposes to refine the language pertaining to success for all students, moving from broad concepts to specific actions that better enable institutions to demonstrate progress in supporting achievement across their entire student population.”
WSCUC President Jamienne S. Studley told Inside Higher Ed that, “The words ‘DEI’ have become a flash point” and that the “commission’s proposal reflects the idea that we want to direct our effort towards student success.”
If the changes are adopted, the move could have a large impact on the state of California colleges and universities, many of which have been at the forefront of promoting DEI.
The California Community Colleges system actively promotes its commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), and is “continually working to break down barriers to racial justice and equity for the millions of students in our colleges.”
”We measure progress on our DEIA journey in three core outcomes: cultural diversity, promoting equity through equity-minded policies and practices, and fostering inclusion through employee recruitment, hiring, and retention,” the system notes. “To advance these goals, we are continually building a better, more inclusive, equity-centered teaching and learning ecosystem that supports the needs of students from all backgrounds through actions both big and small.”
The community college system’s “Vision 2030” plan is based on its “central commitment to DEIA and anti-racism.”
Similarly, the University of California system is a strong proponent of DEI across its ten campuses.
”UC is committed to clearing barriers that prevent the full expression of potential among members of our student, staff and faculty community — particularly those who have been historically underrepresented,” the system’s website states. “UC believes that including people from the full human spectrum — encompassing race, age, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, ability, experience and more — makes for a community that reflects the richness and diversity of California itself.”
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Numerous schools within California also mandate DEI-based courses as part of its curriculum, such as at UC San Diego and UCLA. UC San Diego students can fulfill the requirement through courses like “DEI in Relation to Human Bio” and “Race, Gender, and Robots.”
In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation into law that mandates all California State University students complete an “ethnic studies” course in order to graduate. “Ethnic Studies” is defined as “an umbrella term that references the four core autonomous disciplines of African American/Black/Africana studies, Chicana/o (Latina/o) studies, Asian American studies, and Native American/American Indian studies,” according to the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
