Brandeis DEI officer sends campus-wide email about fostering 'diversity,' 'inclusion,' and 'social justice'

A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) officer at Brandeis University in Massachusetts sent a campus-wide email entitled “Social Justice and Free Expression.”

The message was sent on Nov. 8 by Brandeis’ Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Dine, and Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging LeManuel Bitsoi, according to The Justice.

The email asserted that a “commitment to social justice” was a foundational concept behind the institution. It also connects the protection of free speech with fostering a “diverse and inclusive community.”

[RELATED: Education Cmte. will work with Dept. of Government Efficiency to ‘cut back waste’ in higher ed: Rep. Burgess Owens]

Another principle mentioned in the email is “sharing responsibility,” which the administrators described as meaning that “we should embrace civility, but in the larger sense: an issue can be engaged with emotion, and even a raised voice, if the humanity of all involved is respected.” 

The note continued to advocate the “expression of a diverse set of intellectual, political, cultural, and social outlooks” and asserted that Brandeis “embodies both diversity of identity and opinion,” including diversity of “ability/disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, age, language, et. al.”

“Brandeis prohibits discrimination and on the basis of race; color; national origin; ethnicity; share ancestry or ethnic characteristics; caste; sex, including pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, including transgender identity; religion; disability; age; genetics [and] active military or veteran status,” the message concluded.

It urged students to report violations of the listed principles to “the [Office of Equal Opportunity’s] Formal Complaint Process and/or Title IX Grievance Process may be available to address that conduct.”

[RELATED: University System of Georgia curbs DEI, adopts institutional neutrality, strengthens First Amendment rights in new changes]

This is not the first instance of support for left-wing stances at Brandeis this year.

In September, the Brandeis University faculty enacted a vote of “no confidence” in the university’s president Ronald Liebowitz for his “excessive responses” to student protests.

“Over the last eight years President Liebowitz shut down the normal channels of communication that allow staff, students and faculty to air their views and contribute their expertise where needed,” said Professor John Plotz about his decision to vote “no confidence” in Liebowitz.

“Brandeis has a long proud history as a cosmopolitan and nonsectarian university, but the current President’s narrow conception of our identity has weakened our core pedagogical and scholarly mission,” Plotz continued.

Campus Reform has contacted Brandeis University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.