West Virginia University became the latest college to shutter its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) office, as a wave of state and federal leaders urged an end to what critics call a paradigm of reverse-discrimination.
As of Monday, the Morgantown school’s DEI division webpage was still active, advertising an “interactive social justice experience” called the “Tunnel of Awareness” later this month.
It also invited students to take an “Implicit Bias Test,” take part in a “Yappy Hour” with therapy dogs, and join WVU Vice President Meshea Poore in discussions on how to “live, learn and work together with care and respect for each other” on campus.
The Mountaineers’ DEI office will be replaced with an ADA and Title IX-centric Division of Campus Engagement and Compliance.
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The closure of the department came pursuant to GOP Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s executive order declaring DEI practices to be in conflict with the Mountain State and U.S. Constitutions.
“No [entity] under authority of the governor or … receiving state funds shall utilize …resources [to DEI positions, activities procedures or mandatory training],” part of the order read.
The Republican governor’s order preceded President Donald Trump’s similar federal order by a few days, as the latter’s inauguration fell one week later.
Morrisey said the “woke virus” needs to be “eradicated” in schools and that he is “a believer… that God looks at us [and] the rule of law looks at us as equals.”
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“We don’t want special preferences unlawfully benefiting one group of another race, color, age, ethnicity. We have to make sure that we’re taking steps to treat everyone the same under the law.”
Morrisey thanked WVU for taking the necessary steps to close its DEI office, remarking that too often there is public pressure to “do the wrong thing.”
April Kaull, executive director of communications for WVU, said Monday the new office is not a rebranding but a “shift in focus that will align with the governor’s directive.”
“The new West Virginia University Division of Campus Engagement and Compliance is positioned to carry out its core mission and to serve all within our university community. It will focus on ensuring the university adheres to federal and state guidance and fulfilling the needs of our campus community, including compliance with Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is its primary focus,” Kaull said.
In December, another big football school — Michigan — dismantled its DEI apparatus and said it would no longer “solicit diversity statements as part of faculty hiring, promotion and tenure.”
The nonaccredited University of Austin in Texas nixed any iteration of DEI in 2024 as well, with an official saying the college will promote freedom of speech and merit-based admissions.
“They talk about safe spaces. We want to create an environment that’s safe for ideas to be explored and where there’s not risks to the student for taking positions as they explore,” UATX Vice President Michael Shires said at the time.
At least six other states — Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas and Utah — have banned or limited DEI teachings or initiatives within application processes.
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Meanwhile, an official for Mount Holyoke College in Northampton, Massachusetts, said she hoped higher education will not capitulate to Trump’s vision in this regard, and that such executive orders are ripe for legal challenge.
“I don’t believe that the value of saying we live in a multiracial democracy is wrong,” President Danielle Holley said in part to the AP.
Northeastern University in Boston changed the name of its DEI office to “Belonging in Northeastern” in what it called a “reimagined approach.”
In New Brunswick, New Jersey, a professor at Rutgers University had to cancel an upcoming session geared toward internships for students from HBCUs after a contractor informed her federal funding for the conference was put on-hold.
Last week, Missouri State University in Springfield announced an end to its DEI programs — a move administrators said was supported by its Board of Governors.
College President Richard Williams said the school “values diverse thought and actions and support[s] all our students faculty and staff.”
But, Williams added that leaders in Jefferson City had outlined new requirements because nearly two-fifths of MSU’s budget is earmarked from state funding.
Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
