The Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill has cut $2.3 million in funding from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program and redirected the money to campus security and police.
“It’s important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just the 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university’s operations,” said budget committee vice-chair Marty Kotis. “It takes away resources for others.”
“North Carolinians are watching all this, and they are not happy,” Kotis said in the meeting. “I think it’s imperative that we have proper resources for law enforcement to protect the campus. And that means our property, and that means our flag as well.”
Last month, the board’s Committee on University Governance voted to replace its DEI policy at 17 schools across the state. The change would appear to eliminate various DEI-paid positions at the school. The full board is expected to take up the issue this month.
“My personal opinion is that there’s administrative bloat in the university,” Board Chair David Boliek told The News & Observer, anticipating some jobs would be scrapped as a result. “Any cuts in administration and diverting of dollars to rubber-meets-the-road efforts like public safety and teaching is important.”
If the policy is fully repealed, the UNC system could join other major universities in dismantling their diversity offices. Among the most notable, the University of Florida in Gainesville announced in a memo last month that it was scrapping its office and shifting its funding for faculty recruitment instead.
The proposed policy change would impact a diversity, equity and inclusion regulation adopted in 2019. It defines the roles of various DEI positions – such as a system office diversity and inclusion liaison and diversity officers across the university system – and the establishment of a diversity and inclusion council made up of members representing each university, according to the policy.
Andrew Tripp, senior vice president for the UNC System Office’s legal affairs team, said the alteration would ratify “the university’s commitment to non-discrimination and institutional neutrality,” according to the Associated Press.
The University of Florida became the first major university to do away with DEI when they fired all their DEI staffers.
“DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,” Florida’s Republican governor Ron DeSantis said. “I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”
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It was the fraternity boys at UNC who rescued the U.S. flag from pro-Hamas protesters who had ripped down Old Glory and raised the Palestinian flag.
UNC Chapel Hill abolishes DEI department and transfers all funds to campus cops after frat brothers were left to defend the flag from anti-Israel mob https://t.co/NCdbqLmfO8 pic.twitter.com/gYomyUUiYn
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 13, 2024
Many members specifically mentioned recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. Last month, police detained more than 30 people at an encampment where protesters removed the U.S. flag and replaced it with a Palestinian one.
“When you destroy property or you take down the U.S flag and you have to put up gates around it — that costs money,” Kotis said. “It’s imperative that we have the proper resources for law enforcement to protect the campus.”
Yes, it was a victory for law and order and sanity.
Suck. On. That. Commies.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/4qBVldPsC8
— M2 (@Amer1can_Barbie) May 13, 2024
Hell yes. Screw DEI. 🖕🏼👊🏼
Win for UNC 🔥 https://t.co/HEEi7myAeT— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) May 13, 2024
Is DEI on the way out? Two schools do not make a movement. But it’s on everyone’s radar, meaning that momentum could pick up steam, at least in red states.