UConn maintains 'compliant' DEI office despite federal opposition
The University of Connecticut (UConn) will keep its Office of Diversity and Inclusion despite federal efforts to curb DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in higher education.
UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz confirmed to Campus Reform that the university will continue to operate the office.
The University of Connecticut (UConn) will keep its Office of Diversity and Inclusion despite federal efforts to curb DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) in higher education.
The university’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice website continues to offer “resources, opportunities for engagement, and celebrations of the many diverse communities who call UConn ‘home.’” Its mission statement maintains the goal of fostering “full participation and belonging for all – especially historically excluded and racially oppressed populations both nationally and globally.”
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UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz confirmed to Campus Reform that the university will continue to operate the office, pointing to a March 6 message on the topic that was addressed to the school community.
Within the letter, UConn leaders describe their response to the U.S. Department of Education’s Feb. 14 “Dear Colleague” letter, which warns of losing federal funding for schools that continue to implement racially discriminatory DEI programs.
“[W]e believe the university is compliant with the law, including following the recent Supreme Court decision surrounding the use of race in admissions,” university officials wrote in the message.
“UConn does not encourage segregation and while there are numerous affinity groups on campus and related programming, events, activities, and housing, none are in violation of Title VI provided that, regardless of the affinity group who may be the organizers or audience, the programming, events, activities, and housing are open to anyone — meaning no one is excluded on the basis of race or any other aspect of identity,” the message continued.
UConn officials noted that the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and related programs were “compliant with the law” and “consistent with UConn’s overall mission as a Land Grant institution created to expand access and opportunity and to serve all people from every walk of life.”
On Jan. 21, President Trump issued an anti-DEI executive order that explicitly condemned “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation.”
As UConn opts to maintain its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, other universities across the nation are moving to rebrand or close their respective DEI offices.
For instance, the St. Louis University School of Medicine recently renamed its DEI office to the “Office of Ignatian Mission in Medicine.”
The University of Pennsylvania recently removed various DEI position titles, scrapping references to “diversity” or “inclusion.”
Campus Reform reached out to the Department of Education for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
