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The University of Michigan is thinking about making changes to its diversity program, which has been a major advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Critics are raising concerns about the program’s effectiveness and its influence on campus culture.
Authored by Nicholas Confessore
The University of Michigan, known for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, is considering making changes to its program. This comes as colleges nationwide prepare for Donald J. Trump’s second presidency and potential challenges to these initiatives from Republicans in government and academia.
Officials in charge of the university expressed in discussions that they anticipate the board will propose restrictions on diversity statements for hiring and promotions. Additionally, the board might consider reallocating a portion of Michigan’s D.E.I. 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 review Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) policies internally, rather than in response to legislative pressure. The board overseeing Michigan, elected by state voters, is mostly made up of Democrats with a 6-2 majority and typically operates through consensus. The state constitution of Michigan grants the board of regents authority over the university’s finances and general supervision of the institution.
The next meeting of the university regents will take place on December 5th. However, there has been strong opposition on the Michigan campus in response to early conversations between the regents and other university officials. Diversity, equity, and inclusion administrators have launched a campaign to defend their work and maintain their funding amidst criticism.
Hundreds of supporters of diversity, equity, and inclusion gathered on the campus in Ann Arbor for a rally that took place on Monday.
One of the speakers, a junior named Pragya Choudhary, mentioned that she believes no one in the audience thinks the D.E.I. initiatives at the university are flawless. However, she emphasized that everyone present understands that the university would be in a worse state without these initiatives.
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 are concerned that the regents might completely cut funding for the school’s D.E.I. initiatives, although this drastic measure does not seem to be on the table. There are also accusations that the regents are planning to eliminate the Go Blue Guarantee, which 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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