UNC trustee recommends school cut DEI funding
Jim Blaine suggested the possibility of eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, citing potential legal conflicts and arguing that DEI exacerbates existing issues.
Blaine and fellow trustee Marty Kotis suggested at a recent board meeting that eliminated DEI funding could go toward better usage like scholarships or increased pay.
A member of a top public university’s board of trustees recently stated that the school should eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, following in the footsteps of the University of Florida, which recently fired all DEI staff.
Jim Blaine, a trustee for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, suggested that state lawmakers could take legal action against DEI initiatives at public universities, as reported by.
“It’s my belief that it is likely that the Board of Governors or the state legislature will follow Florida’s path as it relates to DEI this year,” Blaine said during a board of trustees meeting on March 27.
Blaine followed up by stating he would agree with the move, saying that DEI “creates and exacerbates problems on this campus and doesn’t solve them.”
[RELATED: DeSantis announces sweeping changes to dismantle DEI, CRT in higher education]
Blaine also indicated that the university should develop what he called a “contingency plan” in the event that the North Carolina legislature implements restrictions on DEI.
“Rather than us being caught flat-footed, I would suggest that we start to develop a contingency plan for that expectation,” Blaine said. He suggested that removed DEI funding could go to other areas like increasing payments for graduate student workers.
Another Trustee, Marty Kotis, agreed with Blaine’s assessment.
As noted by WRAL News, Kotis stated that UNC’s DEI programs are “administrative bloat” and said that removing them could save upwards of $3 million.
“That could be 370 $110,000 scholarships or stipends,” Kotis reportedly argued. “The sentiment for a lot of folks around the state is that DEI is causing more divisiveness than coherence at the university level.”
UNC Chapel Hill has extensive DEI programs, including a “Diversity Council.”
According to the university’s website, the Diversity Council “serves as the advisory and recommending body to the Chief Diversity Officer” and works closely with the Chief Diversity Officer to implement UNC’s “diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan,” in addition to promoting “best practices for structural change.”
[RELATED: University of Florida fires all DEI employees, eliminates department]
UNC’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion employs dozens of staff members, including a position for “Vice Provost of Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer” within the Office of the Provost.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its Office of Diversity and Inclusion for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
