DEI came under more scrutiny in 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel in October. Student groups across the U.S. began protesting in support of the terrorists, and the spotlight fell on the indoctrination taking place at colleges and universities.
Now, The University of Utah (The U) has announced it will discontinue "diversity questions or statements" in hiring.
According to an official statement from university President Taylor Randall, the school "strives for excellence" and must stay committed to non-discriminatory practices and community well-being, which means all hiring units at the university will stop using any type of diversity statements or practices as part of their unit-level applicant or employee hiring process.
"When it comes to diversity statements and other things going on with higher education, there's a dissonance sometimes that exists in these instances where a push to create fairness, respect, acceptance, and opportunity instead drives division," responds Derek Monson, chief growth officer at Sutherland Institute, a conservative nonpartisan policy and educational institution in Salt Lake City.
The problem with diversity, equity, and inclusion in its current form, he says, is it is the opposite of its name. It supports single viewpoints or groups and teaches to oppose or discriminate against other viewpoints or groups.
His organization approaches the issue of DEI by remembering to stay guided by America's constitutional principles and ideals about equality, human dignity, and freedom.
"We can move towards a more promising solution based in fairness and inclusion," Monson submits. "Again, by applying those American principles, and instead of trying to apply a solution that ends up excluding some people, actually it includes everyone."
Monson says inclusion efforts should mean inclusion for all.
