The divisive, collectivist ideology of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has been spreading throughout American higher education for years. It’s utterly antithetical to our foundational principles of individualism and limited government and leads to highly indoctrinated students who can’t think but only emote, as we recently witnessed at Stanford Law School.
In today’s Martin Center article, Garland Tucker looks at the efforts to stop the growth of DEI and reclaim colleges and universities for true, unpoliticized education.
Tucker writes:
In the face of this DEI onslaught, a backlash is developing. Worried alumni are applying considerable pressure at both public and private universities, while political pressure is also being exerted on public institutions. Reactions of universities have varied. Some are doubling down on DEI, while others appear to be mitigating or even abandoning it. In general, public universities have appeared more likely than private institutions to move away from DEI policies.
At public institutions — at least in states that aren’t completely “blue” — political pressure has been having some effect, such as at the University of North Carolina. But DEI is even more entrenched at private schools, and it’s not susceptible to political pressure. Therefore, Tucker observes, it’s vital that alumni groups get involved.
He continues, “There are now signs that private college alumni are awakening to the need to demand change at their alma maters. Such an example is Washington & Lee University, a private liberal-arts college with a long, rich history; a loyal, distinguished, and well-heeled body of alumni; and a very woke president.”
What can alumni do? They can pressure the school to stop attacking free speech, and they can withhold donations.
Tucker concludes:
It has been on our campuses that students have learned to appreciate the centuries-old efforts of mankind to create stability and foster human flourishing out of a chaotic world. Today, the burgeoning efforts to eradicate DEI from higher education are essential to securing this freedom of academic inquiry. If these efforts are not ultimately successful, America’s colleges will continue to drift towards becoming indoctrination centers, controlled by intellectual elites. America’s future is at stake.