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The University of Michigan is considering changes to its diversity program, which has been a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Critics are raising concerns about the program’s effectiveness and its impact on campus culture.
Written by Nicholas Confessore
The University of Michigan, known for its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, is considering making changes to its programs in response to the upcoming second term of Donald J. Trump as president and potential challenges to these initiatives by Republicans in government and academia.
Members of the university’s board of regents stated in interviews that they anticipate the board will propose restrictions on the inclusion of diversity statements in the process of hiring and promoting employees. Additionally, they may consider reallocating a larger portion of Michigan’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) budget towards initiatives aimed at recruiting students and providing tuition assistance for those from lower-income backgrounds.
Michigan is considering changes that would make it one of the first selective public universities to reassess Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) internally, rather than due to external pressure from legislation. The board, which is elected by state voters, has a 6-2 majority of Democrats and typically operates through consensus. The state constitution gives the regents the final say over the university’s finances and overall supervision of the school.
The regents are scheduled to have their next meeting on December 5th. However, there has been strong opposition on the Michigan campus in response to initial discussions between the regents and other university officials. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) administrators are actively defending their work and advocating to maintain their funding.
A rally took place on the Ann Arbor campus on Monday, where hundreds of supporters of diversity, equity, and inclusion gathered.
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 emphasized that everyone in the audience understands that without these initiatives, the university would be in a worse state.
Discussions have highlighted a lack of clarity on campus about the purpose of the D.E.I. program and the intentions 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, although this drastic measure does not seem to be on the table. There have also been criticisms against the regents for allegedly considering cutting the Go Blue Guarantee, a program that covers full tuition for lower-income students from Michigan. However, the regents have stated that they actually aim to expand the program.
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