(The Center Square) – The University of Virginia has shuttered its diversity, equity, and inclusion office as it along with other schools across the nation respond to the Trump administration’s termination of what he says are illegal DEI practices.
“The University’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships is hereby dissolved,” the University of Virginia Board of Visitors’ resolution obtained by The Center Square reads.
The resolution said that UVA’s move is following the Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter. The letter stated that race-based decisions in education are illegal, and if schools don’t comply they may face loss of federal funding.
Schools across the nation have been responding both to the Dear Colleague letter and Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order entitled “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” along with other orders.
Trump’s order calls for the “termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”
A University of Virginia spokesman told The Center Square that, “in accordance with the [board’s] resolution, the administration will review the functions of the [DEI] office, and all personnel and programs that are permissible under state and federal law will be transferred within the University, within 30 days.”
“We will provide additional information as those efforts proceed,” the spokesman said.
Ohio State University also announced the closing of its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, The Center Square previously reported.
When reached again, assistant vice president for media and public relations Benjamin Johnson told The Center Square that OSU’s “review is ongoing” and that there are no new updates.
The University of Cincinnati told of its plan to evaluate its DEI programs and remove DEI-related material from its websites in a message from President Neville Pinto to the UC Community.
UC did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
East Carolina University no longer requires DEI-related graduation requirements, according to WITN. When asked multiple times for comment, ECU did not respond.
The University of Michigan, the University of Washington, the University of California, and Cornell previously told The Center Square they were evaluating, reviewing, or monitoring the executive order.
Of the four schools, only U-M and UW responded when asked for any updates on their responses.
U-M referred The Center Square to the school’s federal order response update page. According to the webpage, U-M is still monitoring federal activity.
UW spokesman Victor Balta told The Center Square the school received notification of an investigation into dozens of universities from the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, with UW being one of the schools.
The investigation concerns schools that are still making race-based decisions or are in partnership with organizations that make them, according to an Education Department news release.
“We are reviewing [the department’s notification] carefully,” Balta said.
“We will, of course, cooperate with any investigation and provide factual information and responses,” Balta said. “We have no further comment at this time.”
The University of Arizona is also assessing federal updates and previously removed the phrase “committed to diversity and inclusion” from its land acknowledgment as well as took down some DEI-related webpages, The Center Square reported.
Similarly, Columbia removed DEI language from parts of its website and took down some DEI-related web pages, The Center Square reported.
Columbia previously referred The Center Square to a “University statements page for latest updates and public statements on ongoing issues,” when reached for comment. The page does not mention Trump’s January 20 DEI executive order.
Columbia did not respond when reached again in regards to any updates concerning its response to the executive order.
Brown University referred The Center Square to a message saying the school is evaluating “all federal activity related to higher education.”
Both Slippery Rock University and Pennsylvania Western University, California referred The Center Square to Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), of which they are both members.
“We are working with our legal counsel to monitor executive orders and additional guidance that may – or may not – impact our universities,” PASSHE director of media relations Kevin Hensil told The Center Square.
“That process is still in the early stages, and we will follow the law,” Hensil said.
Michigan State University and University of Washington School of Medicine each previously told The Center Square they intend to continue their normal operations – which would evidently include those involving DEI – when asked for their responses.
Case Western Reserve, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, and NYU each previously told The Center Square they had no comment regarding their respective responses to the order, with UC Irvine SOM saying it may have more information “as we learn more.” None of the schools provided updates to their responses when requested.
The following schools have not yet provided comment after repeated requests concerning their individual responses to the executive order:
- Harvard
- Stanford
- Duke
- Yale
- Penn
- Northwestern University
- The University of Chicago
- Boston University
- Emory University
- Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
- UC San Diego
- Indiana University
- The University of Pittsburgh
- Community College of Allegheny County
- University of Florida
- Florida State University
This article was originally published at www.thecentersquare.com
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