The Department of Education’s recent “Dear Colleague” letter threatened all schools that fail to whitewash their curricula with having federal funding snatched from them. And while it’s nice to see schools take stands for diversity, being on the right side of history usually doesn’t pay the bills quite like falling in line. Law schools have already begun scrubbing mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from their websites to stay in the federal funding running. Bloomberg Law has coverage:
Law schools including Cornell Law School, Vanderbilt Law School, and the University of Virginia School of Law have axed the word “diversity” from their community-focused webpages. The Antonin Scalia Law School took down its diversity page entirely.
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Schools are facing a Feb. 28 deadline to ensure their DEI policies, initiatives and programs do not violate federal law or risk their federal funding, according to a Feb. 14 letter from Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for Civil Rights at the Education Department.
Now that is a photo-finish deadline — it’s the classy way of saying “get this diversity shit wrapped up before Black History Month ends.”
We will see varied approaches to the government’s DEI ban over time. It may live on under different names; for example, what was once Vanderbilt’s “Office of Diversity, Equity and Community” is now their “Office of Culture and Community.” Is culture their tongue-in-cheek nod to diversity and equity, or will the modus operandi change with the name? If the former, good luck with getting grants. If there is an actual change, how will Vandy’s culture and community change over time? If it continues to look how it does, will they risk the proxy suits the DOE was teasing? Time will tell.
Law Schools Are Dropping ‘Diversity’ From Their DEI Branding [Bloomberg Law]
Earlier: The Department Of Education Finally Dropped The ‘No DEI By Proxy’ Shoe We Were All Waiting For
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
