Students at Southern Illinois University’s Simmons Law School were reportedly threatened with a “letter of reprimand” that would be placed in their permanent file if they did not attend a mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training session.
The reprimand letter could also be shared with the state bar, according to a report from the Daily Signal published earlier this week.
“Those who cannot attend in person typically fulfill the make-up expectations without issue,” an associate dean wrote to one of the students who didn’t wish to participate.
“If a student misses a required session and does not complete a make-up within a reasonable period of time, we typically issue a letter of reprimand,” the dean added.
The email was obtained by a parental rights group called Defending Education.
After multiple Freedom of Information Act requests, Defending Education obtained the message, which also said that the “letter is placed in the student’s permanent file and would be shared with the bar if the file is requested as part of the character and fitness process.”
In addition, other emails revealed that the university is teaching students that the law, and legal field, can be “racially discriminatory.”
Should the federal government investigate this university regarding its DEI practices?
The Daily Signal highlighted a specific part of the training that mentioned bullying.
One of the presentation slides read, “Bullying disproportionately affects traditionally underrepresented groups,” while another slide claimed “lawyers of color were bullied more often than white lawyers.”
Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications at Defending Education, told the outlet that the school’s tactics are “indefensible and embarrassing.”
“Threatening law school students with a letter of reprimand if they refuse to attend a DEI session they were deceived about is indefensible and embarrassing,” a statement from Defending Education noted.
This news comes just days after the council of the American Bar Association, which oversees law school accreditation in the United States, moved to change a rule that forces schools to support DEI.
This represents a major reversal from the decades-old requirement that law schools actively work to increase the amount of female and minority students within their ranks.
The rule will not officially change, however, until the ABA’s House of Delegates examines the issue in August.
The requirement may not be formally changed until 2027, and was initially suspended back in February 2025, one month after President Donald Trump began his second term in office.
The president has continually opposed DEI initiatives and has worked to eliminate such doctrines within federal agencies.
He has also threatened to withhold federal funds from organizations that continue to push DEI, and those that attempt to rebrand in an effort to sidestep the new regulations.
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