A highly vocal and irate population of faculty, students and staff at the University of Alaska Anchorage campus are livid over a Feb. 21 decision by the University’s Board of Regents, which ordered that all state campuses scrub their websites and other electronic or print material of references to “affirmative action,” “DEI” or “diversity, equity and inclusion,” and other associated terms. Additionally, the regents want all staff position titles purged of these references.
According to reports from the student newspaper, the decision has sparked impassioned rhetoric, campus protests, emotional warnings about mental health and vows from angry (even tearful) faculty to undermine the new directives wherever possible.
The regents’ decision came on the heels of executive orders from President Trump, who threaten to pull federal funding from institutions that pursue divisive political and cultural ideologies, such as racially motivated decisions regarding employment, student enrollment and institutional programing.
According to the student paper, some UAA faculty are “planning on decorating their doors with diversity, equity and inclusion, or utilizing those words more.”
While the regents’ have not issued an outright ban on DEI-infused curriculum or programming, many left-leaning staff and students worry that policies and courses that push DEI, critical race theory and other divisive left-wing activism, may be on the chopping block.
The regents, however, must deal with the fact that roughly 20% of university funding is derived from federal tax dollars, and failure to comply with Trump’s orders may be costly.
Despite this financial reality, the UAA Faculty Senate overwhelmingly passed two resolutions on March 7 demanding that regents withdraw their motion against diversity, equity and inclusion, and affirm the university’s current policy which still mandates that all students take DEI courses in order to graduate.
Additionally, the UAA student newspaper is publishing an ongoing series of articles criticizing the regents’ decision and highlighting a litany of grievances by disgruntled staff and students.
A March 18 article featured the school’s so-called “Community and Belonging” leader Aidan Jackson, who claimed that while most of the university documents, flyers and website pages have removed DEI language, staff are still free to employ pro-DEI language when speaking with students and others.
She also told the student paper that, apart from semantics, she doesn’t believe anything else will change in her office – including school sponsored events, which have focused on white privilege, unconscious racism, LGBTQ agendas and more.
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According to a March 4 Northern Light article, other professors have been openly critical of the new policy, claiming it somehow violates the First Amendment, despite the fact that the regents’ policy on free speech severely limits the university’s ability to sensor an individual’s speech.
One example of staff pushback was reported by KTOO, describing how University of Alaska, Southeast professor Kathy DiLorenzo successfully refused a request that she merely change a the name of one of her courses titled, “The Role of Leadership in DEI in the Public Sector.”
According to the student paper, some UAA faculty are “planning on decorating their doors with diversity, equity and inclusion, or utilizing those words more.”
Others have vowed to press forward with radical DEI agendas, even if they have to use slightly different verbiage.
Late last month, the UAA Coalition of Student Leaders passed a resolution condemning the Board of Regents’ directive and echoing faculty complaints about possible violations on free speech. They also assert that the regents’ decision might harm the “mental health” of fragile students.
TAKING ACTION
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21 Comments
Hope their funding is gone, like Columbia University.
IF the students have fragile mental state, then they should be in counseling. They should not rely on people giving them what they want to make them happy. If they do not get what they want and they cannot handle that, then they are not resilient. We need to help our kids and students to show resilience. Additionally, I am sure that faculty is very upset at the new law. However, we need universities to have the most qualified people working in the positions, not people who got it because of their race or gender. As as country we have drastically fallen behind other countries in our education. Could this be a reason why?
Can anyone identify any student or faculty member that is harmed by NOT promoting the racism inherent in DEI programs? Since when have faculty or students been denied any opportunity by the University or any other establishment? Racial discrimination is against the law. Why would we need programs to prevent racism when we have laws that do that admirably?
DEI is essentially discriminate against Caucasian people. If allowed we would soon be like South Africa where land is being taken from white people, whites cannot get jobs. The U.S. should have no racial preferences.
DEI is essentially discriminate against Caucasian people. If allowed we would soon be like South Africa where land is being taken from white people, whites cannot get jobs. The U.S. should have no racial preferences.
DEI is direct discrimination to white people. Just another reason our students are leaving Alaska for education and never coming back. They already have issues transferring credits to another college or university due to UAA issues with accreditation.
Simply untrue. Please provide evidence if you want us to believe you.
Sounds to me like temper tantrum throwing by a bunch of elitist two-year olds. Can they make up for the loss of dollars by the university? If not, then the faculty and staff can be layed off or fired and those students who choose to can leave. What’s not to like here? Grow up and quit thinking you are so entitled because you are not!
dunleavy can defund right now! BUT WONT!
Now ask yourself, if you haven’t already, why would young people get upset about the scrubbing of DEI if they hadn’t be indoctrinated. At their age I, and my com-padres had more pressing issues to be concerned about than the mis-match color of out skin. Has the education system in this country brought back racism? And then you have to ask yourself why?
As we have been saying all along. DEI / LGBTABC123 is a CULT!
They have invested their minds so deeply into their queer identities that any opposition to their ideology is considered an attack, when in reality the opposition is just wanting to keep to themselves. The DEI cult has gone too far trying to push their delusions on normal sane people that they are now reaping the rewards.
The psychic war continues.
It’s pathetic that these young adults and “educators” are fighting for an agenda that intentionally dumbs them down even more than they were. Imagine! DEI was so successful that a white person will happily become an apologist for himself. Prepare yourselves, children: lots of changes coming – you’ll soon be living in a country you don’t recognize. You’re all so dumbed down, it sounds like this U could ultimately lose funding, judging from your reaction to the restoration of reality. And we know how the regents love money.
Gawd. The hypocrisy of supposed morally superior Christians is thick, deep and vile here.
So, go away then. We don’t need your condescending, neurotic, and simply childish name tagging here. You won’t be missed… so bye.
Manny, we are only morally superior with the grace of God. Every person is a sinner, only Christians acknowledge that. But you are far too self-important to understand any of that, so you lash out like a petulant child. Grow the hell up, or don’t. But either way, if you don’t like it, you can lump it.
What does Christianity have to do with any of this? I’m not Christian, but I’m for darned sure morally superior to anyone who pushes for this ridiculous DEI crap you people keep trying to shovel down the throats of the populace! Take your whiny, bratty childish selves back to your mommy’s basement.
They all are so out of touch with reality and truth and really should not even be in a university setting. They belong in a mental institution. At very least need serious counseling. What a pitiful sham, and shame, so many of our colleges have become.
I would miss Manny if he left.
Nothing is more clear than our God given sex at birth; male and female. I won’t go along with others’ broken reality.
Thankfully, Trump has the courage to initiate a change back to reality for our schools. I can’t be thankful enough for his efforts!
Joel, I went to the link in the article to submit a comment but the website kept telling me “access denied.” Can you shed any light on this for me? I will try to submit it again, perhaps using a different internet browser?
Open the form, type your comment, and then, before clicking anything else on the page, press Alt+F4 on uour keyboard. That will “force submit.”