Following demonstrations on campus to preserve the troubled program, the University of Michigan Board of Regents did not vote on whether to defund its diversity, equity, and inclusion program during its year-end meeting on Thursday.
However, in a major shift for the university, the Board decided to stop requiring diversity statements from faculty members when they are hired or promoted.
The Board of Regents at the University of Michigan did not explicitly state that it would not vote to end the DEI program, which has allegedly spent $250 million on diversity initiatives since 2016. However, members used generic language when speaking, cautioning that not everything you read online is reliable.
According to board member Michael Behm, there are no intentions to reduce these programs in any way.
Additionally, the board raised family income requirements for a program that grants tuition-free admission to eligible students. High-achieving, in-state students whose family income is less than $125,000—up from $65,000 at the time—are eligible for free tuition under the Go Blue Guarantee.
The hike is intended to make education at the university more equal and accessible to students throughout the state, according to Santa J. Ono, president of the university.
Board member Mark Bernstein stated that the initiative, which is part of Michigan’s extensive DEI program, is crucial because, while skill and intelligence are distributed fairly throughout society, opportunity is not. This demonstrates a remarkable dedication to the state and its future.
“This means we’re open for business for all walks of life, and people should feel comfortable on this campus expressing diversity of thought and freedom of expression from places throughout the state and the world,” she said, adding that board member Sandra Hubbard agreed.
However, some saw Hubbard’s appearance with Fox News following a campus demonstration in support of DEI in November as a vote by the Board to cut off funding for the expansive DEI program. This followed a lengthy story in the New York Times magazine that questioned the program’s efficacy.
A letter to the Faculty Senate dated November 20 was received by the student publication, the Michigan Daily, stating that the Board had a private meeting in early November to discuss defunding DEI activities in the upcoming fiscal year.
To protest the possible disruption of the program for the 51,000-student university, over 500 students, instructors, and staff gathered on campus.
The program’s supporters were alarmed by the faculty diversity statements decision, even though there was no vote to stop funding it. A number of students and a few faculty members made it clear to the Board of Regents throughout the hearing that they supported DEI.
Yasin Lowe, a student, stated, “We have witnessed it throughout the country.” “DEI has joined the long list of buzzwords and dog whistles that many bureaucrats are now afraid to use. For reasons I must attribute to ignorance at best and malice at worst, many people have DEI entirely wrong, causing fear and terror.
Nicholas Love, another student, pushed Michigan to consider its identity, its exclusions, and its claims to be a model state that continuously expands access to education and prosperity.
Donald Trump, the incoming president, has already pledged to reduce DEI in universities that accept government funds.DEI programs at state-funded institutions are prohibited in some states, such as Florida and Texas.
According to Michigan physics professor Keith Riles, he wants to see all DEI programs discontinued. He called the Black Lives Matter Movement and the program discriminatory, using the term DIE, which was made popular by Elon Musk.
“Please tear out the entire DEI industrial complex,” Riles said. Affirmative action is rebranded as DEI, he continued. This institution is corroded by it. The only instance of systemic racism on this campus is DEI.
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