As attempts to undermine and attack efforts on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are evident at many colleges and universities across the nation, faculty should pause and reflect on the consequences these attacks have had on college campuses.
According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, three areas of higher education have recently changed due to the negative campaigns against DEI efforts and laws banning DEI spending (Taylor, 2024). One area is physical space, as some colleges have banned the word diversity from offices and job titles while other institutions have changed or dismantled spaces that were created to support students and their identities such as LGBTQ+ resource centers. Another area involves changing or stopping policies that require employees to take diversity trainings, which were meant to boost awareness about different types of diversity to improve working conditions by appreciating differences and to create validating environments for a diverse campus community. Many colleges have removed their efforts to include a commitment to diversity and inclusion as part of their hiring processes and have removed trainings on implicit bias and microaggressions. Lastly, changes in the classroom have been pervasive, as courses and programs such as sociology, gender studies, race and ethnicity, intersectionalities, and critical race theory have been removed as a general education option at many colleges. Even college administrators and politicians that might support DEI efforts now exhibit a hesitancy to fund DEI or to aggressively pursue concerns about educational disparities because of demonization by lawmakers, politicians, and the media about diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and accessibility initiatives (DEIAA).[1]
In addition to the issues in those three areas, one of the most problematic negative effects of steering away from intentional DEIAA efforts in higher education is the hindering of society to become more just. The restriction of open dialogue on these issues stalls critical thinking for students and employees and limits their ability to engage in informed civic discourse. It also increases censorship and self-censorship among faculty due to fear of backlash or the possibility of losing their jobs. This situation has a direct impact on academic freedom and intellectual inquiry. The intentional silencing of DEIAA efforts reinforces polarization and erodes trust in relationship building. Identity politics become more polarized, and the ability to develop cognitive diversity is impaired because of the lack of engagement with unique and divergent perspectives from diverse backgrounds. In today’s globalized society, as individuals are interconnected, understanding diverse perspectives and the complexities of social issues is essential for effective communication, collaboration, and navigating a world with varied social experiences. Attacks against DEI efforts have created a dangerous pattern with real world implications in the experiences and learning happening across colleges and universities. Colleges and faculty therefore urgently need to organize and to defend DEI efforts.
Be Proactive in Defending DEI Efforts
As DEIAA efforts in higher education are under attack, many faculty and constituent groups, including students, ponder what they can do to protect and defend this work. In a recent article from Inside Higher Ed, Mathew Gendle (2024) makes a plea to defend campus diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and states that it is “up to the programs themselves (and their institutional allies) to engage in effective and proactive self-defense.” The author emphasizes a need to be proactive by planning, preparing for, and engaging in defensive responses before one becomes “emotionally, physically and financially destroyed.”
Educate About the True Intentions, Value and Purpose of DEI Efforts
Colleges should emphasize DEI’s positive impact on academic freedom, student success, and institutional resilience rather than solely focusing on defending it from a rights-based standpoint. As Gendle (2024) writes, “As educators, we must use our pedagogical skills to emphasize that DEI work isn’t about policing thought, discriminating against white folk and men, giving jobs to unqualified candidates based on their identities instead of their aptitude, or taking away anyone’s privilege.” Faculty must continue to educate that DEI efforts are designed to address and dismantle structures and systems that cause harm to historically marginalized communities. The only purpose is to provide everyone with equitable opportunities to thrive and participate as a valued member of an interconnected world.
One possible action is to encourage administrators, staff, faculty, students, and allies to write essays and op-eds that highlight the benefits of DEI efforts for society in publications geared towards different audiences. One audience is the general public, and other audiences are academic leadership and governing boards. Writing for those particular audiences is necessary in order to connect and create understanding from their own experiences on how these efforts benefit the collective, including the audience members, as society and the world are interdependent and interconnected.
Proactive self-defense strategies must also make clear that DEI efforts “are not designed or intended to be instruments of condemnation or forced indoctrination” (Gendle 2024). These initiatives welcome discussion, provide perspectives that shine a light on injustice, and contribute to mitigate injustices. DEI efforts are not an attempt to demean others for failing to perceive those injustices. Unfortunately, individuals who are against DEI efforts might hold this perception, as they might fear that these efforts are intended to disparage independent opinion and to police thought.
Build Coalitions
Faculty, staff, students, alumni, administrators, and community partners who support DEI can work together in these efforts. Creating a unified voice is crucial to garner power for positive change. Everyone should become an ally to employees hired into DEI positions, as relying solely on them to defend DEI efforts is unfair and defeating. Everyone in higher education has a collective responsibility to build coalitions and defend DEI work.
In addition, colleges can partner with other organizations, institutions, and community members to create external entities that advocate for DEI programming, as these independent groups can provide effective and sound counterarguments to anti-DEI efforts. One example may be a partnership with and support of historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, Hispanic serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and other minority serving institutions, as they have deeply rooted race-conscious missions. Another possibility is to create an alliance of highly ranked administrators across educational institutions who can collectively defend DEI efforts. One such group of mostly community college presidents from around the country has formed “Education for All,” which includes nearly 150 presidents, mostly at community colleges. Michael H. Gavin, president of Delta College in Michigan, has taken on the role of chief facilitator.[2] The group creates posts on the X social media platform promoting the benefits of DEI for students and others. Furthermore, several higher education associations with overlapping interests have lent their help by providing virtual or physical meeting space or by offering expertise, including Achieving the Dream, which helps colleges develop student-success measures, and Campus Compact, a coalition of colleges seeking to improve civic and community engagement.
Colleges can also draw on connections with community college alumni to expand DEI work. One example of the benefits of engaging with alumni is the work of Compton College President Keith Curry, as he started a Faculty Prep Academy in partnership with the USC Race and Equity Center to prepare currently enrolled masters and doctoral students across California who are community college alumni to become faculty members within California community colleges (Barajas, 2024).
Embed Shared Equity Leadership Models Throughout Institutions
As described by the American Council of Education (n.d.),
In the shared equity leadership framework, a greater number of individuals engage in leadership across an institution and leverage multiple perspectives and expertise to transform conditions of campus inequity. The idea of this framework, informed by studying leaders at different types of institutions, is that broadly distributing leadership responsibilities and accountability helps equity work become less marginalized.
An important component of this framework is the alignment of efforts through building coalitions among institutional leaders as they face competing pressures that try to impede their advocacy for DEI initiatives. Joining forces with other powerful leaders will support a meaningful engagement in the critical defensive work needed to protect DEI efforts in education.
Advocate for Data-Driven Decision Making
Colleges can collect, analyze and share data to demonstrate the benefits of DEI efforts for student outcomes. Through quantitative and qualitative research, colleges can collect data to advocate for the support of DEI initiatives on their campuses. Data analysis helps to identify which particular student groups are underserved and to what extent. It can discover engagement patterns and opportunities for intervention as well as identifying disproportionate impacts to student communities. Moreover, data-driven decision making positively impacts efforts with outreach, retention, student success, sense of belonging, campus climate, diverse faculty and staff recruitment to represent the student population, research grant success, and community and alumni engagement.
The repercussions of dismantling colleges’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are profound and far-reaching. Institutions risk perpetuating systemic inequalities, alienating marginalized communities, and hindering the educational experience for students and employees. Without DEI efforts, colleges would struggle to foster inclusive learning environments that provide equitable opportunities for everyone regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. Therefore, faculty and colleges must organize and defend DEI efforts to advance equity and justice within educational institutions to ensure that every member of the community has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.
References
American Council of Education. (n.d.). Shared Equity Leadership.
Barajas, J. (2024, January 10). New Program Wants to Put More Community College Grads in Full-Time Professor Jobs, Diversify Faculty. LAist.
Gendle, M. (2024, February 29). DEI and the Necessity of Self-Defense. Inside Higher Ed.
Taylor, A. (2024, January 18). 3 Ways That Anti-DEI Efforts Are Changing How Colleges Operate. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
1. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has adopted the term IDEAA for this same concept.
2. Further information on Education for All is available at https://events.compact.org/education-for-all-series.