The University of North Carolina System Board of Governors on Thursday voted for a new policy that repeals previous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) mandates for the state’s public universities.
At least two protesters were arrested after the vote, as a crowd of approximately 50 students and other demonstrators gathered outside the UNC System office in Raleigh, the News & Observer reported.
The 24-member UNC Board of Governors approved its agenda, which included the DEI policy repeal, with two members, Joel Ford and Sonja Nichols, voting against the new measure. The board’s affirmative vote means the change takes effect immediately, although the system said campus changes are expected to take place at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
The policy change focuses on removing a 2019 regulation that outlines various DEI positions — such as diversity officers across the university system — and also defines officers’ roles and duties, such as assisting with diversity programming and managing trainings for staff and students.
The new policy does not include the outlined responsibilities of DEI officers and liaisons, suggesting they may be eliminated. The university system said in a document addressing questions about the policy that its goal is not to cut jobs, but some positions could be discontinued to comply with the new change.
According to the agenda, the new policy requires that each person in the UNC multi-campus system "be treated as an individual deserving of dignity and inclusion."
"The University shall continue to ensure that diverse persons of any background, from North Carolina and beyond, are invited, included, and treated equally," it says. "Diversity means the ways in which individuals vary, including, but not limited to, backgrounds, beliefs, viewpoints, abilities, cultures, and traditions that distinguish one individual from another."
The repeal of the DEI requirements still maintains that UNC employment practices and provision of educational programs and activities "shall continue to comply with federal and state law prohibiting discrimination and harassment of members of protected classes, including, without limitation, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964," the agenda says.
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"Campuses shall ensure that qualified students of all backgrounds are welcomed, included, and supported in their pursuit of a degree or certificate and that employee wellbeing remains a priority," the new policy says. "Campuses shall continue to implement programming or services designed to have a positive effect on the academic performance, retention, or graduation of students from different backgrounds, provided that programming complies with the institutional neutrality specified in Section VII of this policy and/or other state and federal requirements."
At the system’s flagship campus, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees voted earlier this month to dismantle its DEI programs and reallocate $2.3 million in funds toward police and public safety measures. At least one trustee cited the anti-Israel protesters who clashed with officers on campus in arguing for the need to support law enforcement, while others said the change would slash bureaucratic bloat.
The UNC Board of Governors oversees all 17 public universities in the state.
A five-person board committee already voted last month to reverse and replace the DEI policy, but the full 24-person board needed to vote for the repeal to take effect.
In his meeting remarks Thursday, UNC System President Peter Hans said students and faculty should confront "competing ideas" but the role of public universities is to remain neutral on "political controversies."
"No one can speak for the whole university community on contentious issues because the university is not of one mind about anything," Hans said.
In the weeks leading up to the vote, Hans said he spoke with members of the UNC Faculty Assembly, students and staff who voiced concern about how the policy change would impact diversity. He said he remains committed to welcoming diversity at the system’s schools.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
