The obsession with “diversity” continues to rage throughout American higher education. Almost every institution has created a number of diversity offices and programs, spending many dollars on administrators who do nothing of value.
In today’s Martin Center article, Ashlynn Warta looks at the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) spending in the UNC system. She writes, “DEI, more than a simple way of thinking or a mere teaching material, has become a budget line item, as most UNC-System schools now have DEI-specific staff as well as departments. In total, 14 of the 16 schools have staff who specifically promote DEI, resulting in over $11 million going towards DEI staff salaries within the UNC System.”
One of the two remaining institutions in the system that doesn’t yet have a “chief diversity officer” is the School of the Arts, but Warta reports that it is on the verge of hiring one.
But isn’t DEI just about making all students feel welcomed? As if colleges and universities aren’t already as welcoming as any places could be. DEI, however, isn’t merely that. As Warta states, “Rather than encouraging diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments, they actually encourage students to conform to predetermined ideologies. More specifically, DEI efforts are narrowing the scope of what is ‘acceptable’ on college and university campuses.”
That is to say, DEI is just another vehicle for smuggling in “progressive” ideology. That’s the reason why top administrators want it.