UNC Wilmington official describes ‘sneaky’ efforts to maintain DEI

A newly released undercover video reveals additional University of North Carolina administrators acknowledging that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have been rebranded rather than eliminated.

Last year, the University of North Carolina system voted to eliminate its DEI policies, offices, and positions. However, Accuracy in Media has released multiple videos in the past several months of UNC employees detailing efforts to secretly keep DEI in place.

[RELATED: Report highlights how universities uphold DEI despite federal pressure]

The latest of these videos, recorded nine months ago and published on June 19, shows Asher Persin, a coordinator for the Mohin-Scholz LGBTQIA+ Resource Center at UNC Wilmington, describing “sneaky” efforts to conceal DEI. 

“They’re trying to be a little sneaky … with certain things in the plan,” Pershin says in the footage. “We didn’t have to fire anybody or lay off anybody as they [were] really reassigned. Like, we were a team of like 15. There’s four of us now.” 

On pursuing “anti-racism” programming, Pershin notes, “Even that word alone is not something that necessarily is going to be the verbiage.”

The same released video shows footage of another discussion with Ashlee Fleming, the coordinator for the Upperman African American Cultural Center, describing certain DEI-related positions within the university as “eliminated, but technically replaced.”

The video was recorded without the employees’ knowledge last September, and one week after the UNC system voted to remove DEI positions. 

Accuracy in Media says the video demonstrates that DEI is gone in name only. 

“Our investigation proves that UNCW only disbanded its Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion on paper,” President Adam Guillette stated, according to The Blue Ridge Times.

“In reality, they simply moved employees around and renamed programs to continue conducting the exact same radical indoctrination that the UNC Board of Governors disavowed,” he continued.

A university spokesman told Campus Reform that the school knows about the video and is reviewing the matter.

The university “is aware of a video alleging regulatory noncompliance by university personnel,” Sydney Bouchelle, a university media relations and communications specialist, stated.

“We take such matters seriously, the employees’ actions are under review, and the leadership team is taking immediate action to look into these matters further,” she added. “We will provide an appropriate and timely response once we have more information.”

[RELATED: George Mason University ends office for ‘Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation’]

Earlier this month, Accuracy in Media published a video of an encounter with a former Western Carolina University administrator describing efforts to “embed” DEI across the school. She also said that “every area should have responsibility for that.” 

The official, Karen Price, no longer works for the school. Following the video’s release, the university announced the closure of the Office of Intercultural Affairs.

Other employees at UNC Charlotte and UNC Asheville no longer work at their respective schools following the publication of Accuracy in Media videos.