Several public universities in West Virginia will be reviewing their own diversity policies after recently installed Governor Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order banning DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) at institutions that receive state funding.
In response to Executive Order 3-25, West Virginia University (WVU) and Marshall University will be reevaluating various DEI-based programs, West Virginia Watch reports.
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“We’re currently reviewing the executive order with members of our campus community. We’ll have a better understanding once the review is completed,” WVU Executive Director for Communications April Kaull told the outlet. “Most of the work in this area is by a focused group of employees for federal compliance of the Americans with Disability Act and Title IX. We do not use any state dollars to comply with federal DEI requirements.”
Marshall Director of Communications Leah Payne also told West Virginia Watch that the university’s “government relations and legal teams are reviewing the executive orders to ensure compliance.”
After signing the executive order on Tuesday, Governor Morrisey said that “DEI has absolutely no place in West Virginia state government and any entity that receives state funds.”
The governor also stated that, “We’re going to give folks some opportunity to come into compliance.”
In addition to restricting DEI at public institutions, the executive order prohibits mandatory DEI programming, training, and statements.
WVU currently operates a Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that features various definitions on its website, including “Intersectionality,” “Privilege,” “Underrepresented,” and “Social Justice.”
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”The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion provides education, support, accountability and leadership on issues relating to diversity to the campus and community,” the web page reads. “We engage in advocacy, policy development, consultation and evaluation to create a more inclusive campus community.”
As of publication, Marshall’s diversity web page has been removed from the university website.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
