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The University of Michigan is considering making changes to its diversity program, which is known for being one of the most supportive in higher education. Critics are questioning the program’s effectiveness and how it affects campus life.
Written by Nicholas Confessore
The University of Michigan, known for its strong support of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in higher education, is considering adjustments to its own program. This comes as colleges nationwide prepare for Donald J. Trump’s second presidency and potential challenges to these initiatives from the Republican party in government and academia.
Members of the board in charge of the university expressed their belief that they would propose restrictions on diversity statements in the hiring and promotion process. They may also consider reallocating a larger portion of Michigan’s diversity, equity, and inclusion budget towards recruitment initiatives and tuition assistance for students from lower-income backgrounds.
Michigan is considering changes that would make it one of the first selective public universities to reevaluate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) without being influenced by legislative pressure. The board, which is elected by state voters and mainly makes decisions through agreement, is mostly made up of Democrats with a 6-2 majority. According to Michigan’s state constitution, the regents have the final say over the university’s finances and are responsible for overseeing the school.
The next meeting of the regents is scheduled for December 5th. However, recent conversations between the regents and university officials have faced strong opposition on Michigan’s campus. Administrators of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) have launched a campaign to defend their work and protect their funding from criticism.
A large group of supporters for diversity, equity, and inclusion gathered at the Ann Arbor campus for a rally on Monday.
During a speech, a junior named Pragya Choudhary stated that while the D.E.I. initiatives at the university may not be perfect, everyone in the audience acknowledges that the university would be in a worse state without them.
The discussions have highlighted a general lack of clarity on campus regarding the purpose of the D.E.I. program and the goals of the regents. Certain faculty and students have expressed concerns that the regents may completely cut funding for the school’s D.E.I. initiatives, but this drastic measure is not currently being considered. There have also been criticisms of the regents for allegedly planning to eliminate the school’s Go Blue Guarantee, which covers full tuition for lower-income students from Michigan. However, the regents have actually stated that they aim to broaden the program instead.
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