Two Virginia universities abandon DEI mandates following Youngkin audit

Two public universities in Virginia have scrapped their planned diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements after a review by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) administration.

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 “core curriculum mandates that are a thinly veiled attempt to incorporate the progressive Left’s groupthink.”

However, while the VCU Board of Visitors voted 10-5 publicly in a meeting on Friday to reject a “racial literacy” requirement just before the fall 2024 academic semester, which included the requirement, was set to begin, GMU decided to delay implementation for one year.

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.

However, both Board of Visitors rector Todd Haymore and school President Michael Rao expressed support for the racial literacy courses.

“As a faculty member myself, I support our faculty’s role and expertise in developing our curriculum. I strongly support and encourage racial literacy courses and am pleased they are available for students,” Rao said. “Our 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.”

As the Washington Examiner reported, VCU’s racial literacy mandate was developed after students and faculty started demanding racialized courses in the wake of the 2020 George Floyd riots. A racial lens would have been applied to courses about media, activism, healthcare, psychology, and education, among others.

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.

GMU’s announcement came after last-minute recommendations earlier this month from a committee encouraged a delay if implementation of the recommendations could not be completed in a timely manner.

“It is clear that some constituencies, including some members of our Board of Visitors, still have reservations,” GMU interim Provost Kenneth D. Walsh wrote in an email to employees Wednesday. “Given that fall registration opens for first-year students in a matter of weeks, we must put forward a definitive answer now. … And my answer to whether to implement the requirement is neither ‘yes’ nor ‘no.’ Rather, it is ‘not yet.’”

The committee report noted “concerns that the university was engaging in indoctrination and actively silencing those who hold a range of perspectives, both through DEI programming and curriculum.” It also included various comments from students and faculty who were both for and against the requirements, known as “Just Societies.”

However, Walsh, GMU’s interim provost, will not be the one deciding whether or not to continue, as a new provost will take over on July 1.

GMU Board of Visitors member Reginald Brown, who was appointed by Youngkin, told Inside Higher Ed that the delay could see the board ultimately decide to scrap the mandate entirely.

“There was concern on the part of a majority of the board members about moving to a Just Societies mandate … without further discussion with the new provost and the incoming board members,” he said. “There’ll be three or four new incoming board members in July.”

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.

“I think it also should apply to us — that you should not have DEI offices or any other offices or any other professor that is promoting inherently divisive concepts,” Meese argued.

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Some courses offered in the Just Societies program included “Scientific Racism and Human Variation” and “Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies.”

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.