The UNC System is waiving diversity, inclusion and goals policies at NC public universities

RALEIGH, NC — The UNC System Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s public colleges and universities, voted Thursday to repeal and replace its diversity and inclusion policy, a move that could lead to the elimination of diversity-related positions at schools across the state.

Dozens of students planned protests over the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion policies and potential jobs ahead of Thursday’s final vote, the final step in a month-long process led by the UNC System board. Two protesters were detained in the building’s lobby, away from the meeting site.

The entire 24-member board was appointed by Republican Party legislators. The move comes after universities in other states, including Florida and Texas, have cut diversity-related jobs.

The vote was not by roll call, but two board members voted “no”: Joel Ford and Sonja Phillips Nichols, who are black.

“Higher education does not exist to settle the most difficult debates in our democracy,” UNC System President Peter Hans said at the meeting. “Our role is to organize these debates, inform them and make them richer and more constructive. This is a crucial responsibility that we cannot fulfill if our institutions are perceived as biased in one direction or another.”

Hans said higher education must maintain “fundamental neutrality,” arguing that it strengthens free speech rights, protects academic freedom and “allows us to welcome true diversity.”

Nichols, of Charlotte, said she wants people to feel like they are heard.

“I just want it said that some people felt like they weren’t heard,” she said after the meeting. “And that I wanted to say that I can say that I represent the people who said, ‘We didn’t feel heard.'”

Gene Davis, a board member, said DEI programs and their predecessors have “made our universities feel more welcoming to a more diverse group of people from North Carolina and beyond.” He credited the programs with making universities more reflective of the “richly diverse fabric of our state and making our universities more welcoming to all.”

But Davis, the Raleigh attorney, said he supported the policy change, saying he had been informed of actions taken on behalf of DEI that made him uncomfortable.

“It hurts when you feel like you’re not accepted and that your differences are held against you,” he said. “I don’t want any student, prospective student, faculty member, employee, alumni or citizen of our state to ever feel like that.”

Pearl Burris-Floyd, a retired scientist and former state legislator who serves as Secretary of the Board of Governors, has worked in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion. She said she hopes campus leaders won’t feel like the board has turned its back on them.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion — and I must add belonging — are part of moving forward,” said Burris-Floyd, a Black woman.

What the policy says

The Board of Governors’ new policy requires each institution to certify by September 1 that it “fully complies with the university’s commitment to institutional neutrality and nondiscrimination.”

It requires each school “to include a report on applicable cuts and spending, along with changes to job titles and job descriptions, made as a result of implementing this policy and how the resulting savings… can be redirected to initiatives related to student success and well-being “

A fact sheet distributed by the Verkhovna Rada after the vote said that “the aim of this policy is not necessarily to reduce jobs, but to remove our universities from administrative activity in social and political debates. It will take time to determine how many positions can be modified or withdrawn to ensure that institutions comply with this revised policy.”

The new policy emphasizes equality, stating that “everyone should be treated as an individual deserving of dignity and inclusion.” In defining diversity, he lists “backgrounds, beliefs, viewpoints, abilities, cultures and traditions.”

The new policy completely replaces the previous policy introduced in 2019, which establishes “system-wide diversity and inclusion metrics and goals” and creates a “UNC System Diversity and Inclusion Council.”

Job cuts and policy changes

DEI programs across the system had similar goals, but used a range of new tools to achieve those goals.

UNC has expanded the program to help low-income first-generation students apply to college. NC State is working together to ensure digital equity in all 100 counties in the state.

UNC Charlotte added Google Select Language widgets to its websites, and App State’s DEI office pushed the Chosen Name Initiative, where students could change their IDs and diplomas from their birth name to their chosen name.

“I think DEI is divisive,” said board member Dave Boliek, the GOP candidate for state auditor. “I don’t think it’s productive. “I don’t think it provides a return on investment for taxpayers or the institution itself.”

The 2023 UNC-Chapel Hill report identified 25 positions with at least 50% of their work devoted to diversity and inclusion efforts, including seven in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The list also includes positions such as director of the School of Medicine’s Office of Rural Initiatives and program coordinator at the Gillings School of Public Health.

UNC-Chapel Hill interim chancellor Lee Roberts said last week it was premature to discuss specific cuts or layoffs.

UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University are among the UNC System schools affected by the changes. The council oversees 16 public schools and the School of Mathematics and Science.

“We are not here to expect everyone to think the same way when it comes to race, gender or any other difficult topic,” the council said in its fact sheet.

Political division

House Speaker Tim Moore, D-Cleveland County, said Wednesday that the board is “getting rid of wasteful DEI spending.” The board stated in its fact sheet that any savings would be redirected within each campus.

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, called the decision a “political vote.”

“Our diversity should be shown as a strength that has helped us develop as a country. It should not be used to show our political divisions,” Cooper said in an interview on WRAL on Thursday. “And unfortunately, I think that’s what this vote is about. This is a political vote intended to show political divisions. I am concerned about the protection of students on our campuses. “I am concerned about whether this will harm our ability to recruit innovators, scientists and researchers.”

In November 2022, Cooper established the Governor’s Commission on the Governance of Public Universities following controversy and turnover within the UNC system and on campuses. Cooper expressed concern that political influence was leading to “bureaucratic interference” at the state’s universities, he said in a statement late last year.

In June, a bipartisan commission issued a series of recommendations, such as expanding university councils to increase geographic representation and ensure greater ideological diversity. The committee also pushed for greater transparency among board members. None of these recommendations were implemented.

“You have to think about North Carolina and its position on the world stage. Because when we talk about diversity, it is a positive phenomenon. You’re looking at private companies. They emphasize their diversity because they know it increases their profits and increases their profits because the outcome is better because they have brought more different points of view to their contributions,” Cooper said.

“That’s why I believe that in North Carolina we need to stop using our public schools and universities as political tools and continue to use them in our economic development and making sure that our youth and adults receive the best education possible. We still have the best state in the country. We still have the best college and university system in the country, but I worry about these kinds of decisions and their impact on our future.

“I’m talking to legislators in Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Georgia. ​​They tell me, ‘Keep going down this road, we already care about your future industry,'” said D-Wake Rep. Maria Cervania.

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