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The University of Michigan is considering making changes to its diversity program, which is known for being one of the biggest in higher education. The school is reevaluating its approach amidst criticism about the program’s effectiveness and influence on campus culture.
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 changes to its own program. This comes as colleges nationwide prepare for Donald J. Trump’s second presidency and potential challenges to these initiatives in both government and academia.
Members of the university’s governing body expressed their intention to propose restrictions on the use of diversity statements in the process of hiring and promoting staff. They are also considering reallocating a portion of the university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) budget towards initiatives aimed at recruiting students from lower-income backgrounds and providing tuition guarantees for them.
Michigan is considering changes that would make it one of the first selective public universities to reevaluate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives without being prompted by legislation. The board, primarily made up of Democrats, is elected by state voters and typically makes decisions through agreement. Regents in Michigan have the final say on the university’s finances and are responsible for overseeing the institution as a whole.
The next meeting of the regents is scheduled for December 5. However, there has been strong opposition on the Michigan campus in response to initial talks between the regents and other university officials. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) administrators are actively defending their work and advocating for their funding to be maintained.
A large group of supporters for diversity, equity, and inclusion came together on the campus in Ann Arbor for a rally on Monday.
During a speech, a junior named Pragya Choudhary mentioned that she believes no one in the audience believes the D.E.I. initiatives at their university are flawless. However, she emphasized that everyone present acknowledges that without those initiatives, the university would be in a worse state.
The discussions have highlighted a general lack of clarity on campus about the goals of the D.E.I. program and the intentions of the regents. Some faculty and students have expressed concerns that the regents might completely cut funding for the school’s D.E.I. initiatives, although this extreme measure does not seem to be on the table. There have also been criticisms of the regents for allegedly planning to eliminate the school’s Go Blue Guarantee, a program that covers full tuition for low-income students from Michigan. However, the regents have stated that they actually want to expand this program.
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