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The University of Michigan is currently reviewing its diversity program, which has been a prominent supporter of diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Critics are raising concerns about the program’s effectiveness and its influence on campus dynamics, prompting the school to explore potential changes.
Written by Nicholas Confessore
The University of Michigan, known for its strong support of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in higher education, is considering making adjustments to its own program. This comes as colleges nationwide prepare for Donald J. Trump’s second term as president and potential challenges to such initiatives from the Republican party in government and academia.
Members of the board in charge of the university mentioned in discussions that they anticipate the board will aim to set restrictions on diversity statements when making hiring and promotion choices. Additionally, the board might consider reallocating a larger portion of Michigan’s D.E.I. budget towards recruitment initiatives and tuition assurances for students from lower-income backgrounds.
Michigan is considering changes that would make it one of the first selective public universities to review diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) policies internally, rather than in response to legislative mandates. The board overseeing the university is primarily made up of Democrats, who are elected by state voters and usually make decisions through agreement. Regents in Michigan have the final say on the university’s finances and also have authority to oversee the school in general.
The regents are scheduled to meet on December 5th. However, there has been strong opposition on the campus of Michigan in response to early talks between the regents and other university officials. Administrators in charge of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) have launched a campaign to defend their work and maintain their funding amidst the criticism.
Hundreds of supporters of diversity, equity, and inclusion gathered on the Ann Arbor campus for a rally on Monday.
One of the speakers, Pragya Choudhary, a junior, expressed that she believes no one in the audience thinks the D.E.I. initiatives at the university are flawless. However, she also stated that everyone present understands that without these initiatives, the university would be in a worse state.
The discussions have highlighted a general lack of understanding on campus about the purpose of the D.E.I. program and the intentions of the regents. Some faculty and students fear 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 are also concerns that the regents are planning to eliminate the Go Blue Guarantee, which covers full tuition for lower-income students from Michigan. However, the regents have stated that they actually want to expand the program.
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