Dept of Ed scraps $15 million in funding of DEI-based grants at three universities
The U.S. Department of Education recently ceased roughly $15 million in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) grants that had been awarded to three universities.
The change was made on Feb. 7 and affected California State University, Los Angeles, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of St. Thomas.
The U.S. Department of Education recently ceased roughly $15 million in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) grants that had been awarded to three universities.
The change was made on Feb. 7, according to The Washington Free Beacon, and affected California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the University of St. Thomas.
The Free Beacon reported that the grants were used to support the teaching of left-wing ideological buzzwords such as “white privilege” and “systemic racism.” At Cal State LA, the grants went toward an “Equity and Social Justice Center.”
Each of the three schools operates significant DEI initiatives, despite President Trump’s anti-DEI executive order that he signed in January.
Cal State LA’s DEI web page has since become listed as “temporarily unavailable,” but previously stated that the school is committed “to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our University community.”
“Our goal is to nurture a welcoming and inclusive campus where students, faculty, and staff thrive, and community is honored and cultivated,” the website continued.
DEI is prevalent throughout the state of California, with one 2022 estimate made by the Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE) finding that the state had spent around $500 million promoting DEI-related ideologies.
“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is becoming California’s newest billion-dollar industry — on the taxpayer’s dime,” CORE researcher Will Coggin said about the results of the study at the time. “Instead of effectively addressing issues like housing, crime or homelessness, California officials have chosen to line the pockets of well-connected diversity consultants.”
VCU promotes a DEI “action framework” that is, according to its website, “designed to promote a more just, equitable, and inclusive learning and living environment” at the institution.
One of the university’s DEI initiatives is called an “inclusion council,” which aims to provide “an overarching ‘coordinating structure’ for maintaining ongoing synergy and for incorporating emerging voices and perspectives.”
The school additionally has an online calendar dedicated to tracking DEI-based events.
St. Thomas also has a dedicated DEI page and a program called Student Diversity and Inclusion Services, which “provides opportunities for students to embrace differences and contribute to building an inclusive and welcoming community.”
Campus Reform has contacted Cal State LA, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of St. Thomas for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
