Regents say effort has led to ‘bloated administration,’ lack of ideological diversity
University of Michigan students and employees protested Monday in opposition to possible cuts to the institution’s $250 million diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative.
About 300 people participated in the rally on the Ann Arbor campus, calling on the Board of Regents to expand, not cut, the DEI efforts, MLive reports. The regents are scheduled to meet Thursday.
“Clearly, there are some folks in leadership on this campus who don’t know what inclusion really means, nor what it requires,” American culture Professor Su’ad Abdul Khabeer said, according to the report.
“So, my critique is we need more DEI to get some folks in leadership on this campus on the right page,” Khabeer told protesters.
The professor and others also voiced concerns about “thought suppression” and diminished student diversity as the regents re-evaluate the public university’s much-scrutinized DEI programming, the New York Times reports.
Among the regents’ concerns is a “bloated” administration and required DEI statements for employees.
“It is my hope that our efforts in D.E.I. focus on redirecting funding directly to students and away from a bloated administrative bureaucracy,” Regent Mark Bernstein told the New York Times this week.
On Sunday, Regent Sarah Hubbard told Fox & Friends the university’s diversity statements have become “a litmus tests for our faculty and academics when they’re applying for jobs and being considered for a promotion.”
“These diversity statements require them to talk about what they’ve done for DEI lately and what they plan to do,” and they “really limit” programs, she said.
Hubbard expressed concerns about the lack of “diversity of thought” as well as the “very large bureaucracy” resulting from the initiative.
The University of Michigan has faced growing criticism for spending approximately $250 million since 2016 to integrate DEI practices throughout the institution. These efforts include a DEI manager for its botanical garden and a hip-hop performance for its DEI 2.0 launch, The College Fix has reported.
However, the potential changes are facing pushback from the university’s Chief Diversity Officer Tabbye Chavous and the Faculty Senate.
The New York Times reports more:
Last month, Dr. Chavous’s office began publishing posts on Instagram to debunk purported myths about D.E.I. on campus, such as “D.E.I. funding is just spent on staff and retreats.”
Supporters of the D.E.I. initiative have circulated materials that some regents view as an effort to generate support for Dr. Chavous by conflating her office with programs that are viewed more favorably on campus. A petition signed by more than 1,800 students, faculty and staff members stated that Go Blue was “run out of” the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Similarly, an email sent to the faculty on Sunday by D.E.I. supporters claimed that Dr. Chavous’s office had “awarded more than 1,750 full-tuition scholarships to low-income students via the Go Blue Guarantee program.”
A university spokeswoman said that Go Blue, though a component of the school’s D.E.I. strategic plan, was in fact “situated within and managed by” Michigan’s financial aid office.
Regent Bernstein said he finds it “astonishing that we are not approaching this with any degree of self-reflection or curiosity.”
“And it is yet another example of how this area of activity considers itself to be beyond scrutiny. The moment of reckoning is fast approaching,” he told the New York Times.
Meanwhile, another regent who asked to remain anonymous told the newspaper there is “zero” chance the board will approve a “sweeping defunding” of the whole DEI initiative.
In 2023, the university launched a five-year effort to integrate DEI into every aspect of the institution, including “de-emphasizing singular Western historical narratives” in an architecture program,” The Fix reported.
Research published exclusively by The College Fix earlier this year by economist Mark Perry found the University of Michigan has more than 500 employees focused on DEI, with payroll costs exceeding $30 million annually.
MORE: UMich botanical garden employs DEI manager, hosts ‘confronting racism’ training
IMAGE: University of Michigan
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