LSU changes policy on DEI programs, citing Supreme Court ruling
Louisiana State University (LSU) has removed multiple DEI programs following a vote by its Board of Supervisors, aligning with a Supreme Court ruling against race-based affirmative action.
The policy change includes eliminating mandatory DEI statements in hiring practices.
Louisiana State University (LSU) recently implemented a policy change to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and statements.
The change was implemented by a resolution that was passed by the university’s Board of Supervisors without objection, according to The Louisiana Illuminator.
“LSU looks for intellectually curious and academically gifted students to be admitted to our school no matter their race, ethnicity or financial background,” said Chairman of the Board Jimmie Woods following the vote. “Today the board adopted a resolution to codify as policy the principles outlined by the Supreme Court ruling.”
Woods’ reference to “the Supreme Court ruling” is to the Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admission (S.F.F.A.) v. Harvard, which struck down all forms of race-based affirmative action.
“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” the Court held in that case. “Accordingly, the Court has held that the Equal Protection Clause applies ‘without regard to any differences of race, of color, or of nationality’— it is ‘universal in [its] application.’”
The resolution passed by the LSU Board of Regents explicitly rejects “any preferential treatment in violation of the rule of law outlined by the Supreme Court in SFA v. Harvard [sic].”
According to The Louisiana Illuminator, LSU will also remove the mandatory DEI statements it currently uses in the hiring process.
This is not the first step that LSU has taken toward completely eliminating its DEI programs. In January, the university renamed its “Division of Inclusion, Civil Rights, and Title IX” to the “Division of Engagement, Civil Rights, and Title IX.”
The university additionally removed a diversity statement that was on its website at the time, which asserted, “We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion enrich the educational experience of our students, faculty, and staff, and are necessary to prepare all people to thrive personally and professionally in a global society.”
The statement additionally contended that it was necessary for the school to eliminate “racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, classism, LGBTQ+ phobia … and all forms of bias.”
In August, the National Science Foundation granted LSU more than $4 million to establish a “Center for Equity in Faculty Advancement” tasked with mitigating bias on campus.
Campus Reform has contacted Louisiana State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
