{"id":2243758,"date":"2024-05-13T18:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-13T22:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-virginia-universities-scrap-dei-requirements-after-youngkin-audit\/"},"modified":"2024-05-13T18:34:31","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T22:34:31","slug":"two-virginia-universities-scrap-dei-requirements-after-youngkin-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-virginia-universities-scrap-dei-requirements-after-youngkin-audit\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Virginia universities abandon DEI mandates following Youngkin audit"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftwo-virginia-universities-scrap-dei-requirements-after-youngkin-audit%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2243758&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Two Virginia public\u2064 universities, Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University,\u2063 have eliminated diversity, equity,\u2064 and \u200dinclusion (DEI) \u2062requirements following Governor \u200cGlenn Youngkin&#8217;s review. The move comes after concerns were raised about these mandates integrating progressive \u2064ideologies. The\u200d VCU Board rejected \u200ca &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-kids-shows-that-have-gone-completely-woke\/\" title=\"4 Kids Shows That Have Gone Completely Woke\">racial literacy<\/a>&#8221; mandate,\u200c while GMU\u2064 decided to delay implementation \u200dby a year.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/higher-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">public universities<\/a><\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Virginia<\/a> have scrapped their planned <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dei\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"diversity, equity, and inclusion\">diversity, equity, and inclusion<\/a> requirements after a review by Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/glenn-youngkin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Glenn Youngkin\u2019s<\/a> (R-VA) administration.<\/p>\n<p>Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University canceled their plans to implement DEI-oriented classes as a requirement for undergraduate studies after Youngkin raised concerns about \u201ccore curriculum mandates that are a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-left-never-wants-you-freed-from-politics\/\" title=\"The Left Never Wants You Freed From Politics\">thinly veiled attempt<\/a> to incorporate the progressive Left\u2019s groupthink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, while the VCU Board of Visitors <a href=\"https:\/\/news.vcu.edu\/article\/2024\/05\/university-statement-about-racial-literacy-courses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>voted<\/a> 10-5 publicly in a meeting on Friday to reject a \u201cracial literacy\u201d requirement just before the fall 2024 academic semester, which included the requirement, was set to begin, GMU decided to delay implementation for one year.<\/p>\n<p>According to a press release from VCU, the majority vote included appointees from the administrations of two Democrats, former Govs. Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, as well as from Republican Youngkin. It also noted that the courses will still be available, but VCU will not be forcing students to take them.<\/p>\n<p>However, both Board of Visitors rector Todd Haymore and school President Michael Rao expressed support for the racial literacy courses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/professor-falsely-accused-by-serial-liar-of-providing-grades-for-sex-hes-suing-school-that-broke-contract-to-investigate-him\/\" title=\"Professor Falsely Accused By Serial Liar Of Providing Grades For Sex. He\u2019s Suing School That Broke Contract To Investigate Him.\">faculty member<\/a> myself, I support our faculty\u2019s role and expertise in developing our curriculum. I strongly support and encourage racial literacy courses and am pleased they are available for students,\u201d Rao said. \u201cOur country has a long way to go to achieve inclusion, and these courses will be very helpful. As president, I also understand that our board has the ability to vote on a general education mandate that applies to all students.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/2925346\/youngkin-administration-audits-dei-college-left-wing-groupthink\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a>, VCU\u2019s racial literacy mandate was developed after students and faculty started demanding racialized courses in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd riots. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornell-professor-invents-critical-race-theory-watchdog-site\/\" title=\"Cornell Professor Invents Critical Race Theory Watchdog Site\">racial lens<\/a> would have been applied to courses about media, activism, healthcare, psychology, and education, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Youngkin appointees make up eight out of 16 members of the VCU Board of Visitors, but four seats will open on July 1, giving him the ability to appoint a majority of the board.<\/p>\n<p>GMU\u2019s announcement came after last-minute <a href=\"https:\/\/bov.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meeting-Book-Full-Board-Meeting-May-2-2024-3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>recommendations<\/a> earlier this month from a committee encouraged a delay if implementation of the recommendations could not be completed in a timely manner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is clear that some constituencies, including some members of our Board of Visitors, still have reservations,\u201d GMU interim Provost Kenneth D. Walsh wrote in an email to employees Wednesday. \u201cGiven that fall registration opens for first-year students in a matter of weeks, we must put forward a definitive answer now. \u2026 And my answer to whether to implement the requirement is neither \u2018yes\u2019 nor \u2018no.\u2019 Rather, it is \u2018not yet.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The committee report noted \u201cconcerns that the university was engaging in indoctrination and actively silencing those who hold a range of perspectives, both through DEI programming and curriculum.\u201d It also included various comments from students and faculty who were both for and against the requirements, known as \u201cJust Societies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, Walsh, GMU\u2019s interim provost, will not be the one deciding whether or not to continue, as a new provost will take over on July 1.<\/p>\n<p>GMU Board of Visitors member Reginald Brown, who was appointed by Youngkin, told <em>Inside Higher Ed<\/em> that the delay could see the board ultimately decide to scrap the mandate entirely.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was concern on the part of a majority of the board members about moving to a Just Societies mandate\u00a0\u2026 without further discussion with the new provost and the incoming board members,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019ll be three or four new incoming board members in July.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some board members, including Youngkin appointee Michael Meese, have called for replicating a day-one executive order from Youngkin aimed at getting rid of critical race theory and similar ideologies in K-12 schools, applying the same idea to institutions of higher education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it also should apply to us \u2014 that you should not have DEI offices or any other offices or any other professor that is promoting inherently divisive concepts,\u201d\u00a0Meese argued.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some courses offered in the Just Societies program included \u201cScientific Racism and Human Variation\u201d and \u201cIntroduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even while Youngkin appointees make up eight out of 16 seats on the GMU board, the Republican governor will have the opportunity to achieve a clear majority in the summer. That is the case with other schools in Virginia as well, including overtaking a majority at the University of Virginia.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University have dropped diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements for undergraduates following Gov. Glenn Youngkin&#8217;s audit. The universities canceled plans for DEI-oriented classes after Youngkin&#8217;s administration raised concerns about mandatory core curriculum changes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2243759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24131663518735-1024x682.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2243758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24131663518735-1024x682.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2243758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2243758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2243759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2243758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2243758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2243758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}