Following a recent audit by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, two public universities in Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University, have opted to abandon their plans of mandating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) classes for graduation requirements.
While these DEI-focused courses will still be available, they will not be compulsory for undergraduates starting this fall.
The decision to forgo the DEI course requirement came after the education secretary’s office, under Youngkin’s administration, requested to review the syllabi for the proposed “Racial Literacy” and “Just Societies” courses at VCU and George Mason University, respectively.
The upcoming mandates were criticized as “core curriculum mandates that are a thinly veiled attempt to incorporate the progressive left’s groupthink.”
In a 10-5 vote, the VCU Board of Visitors decided against implementing a “racial literacy course” as part of the General Education curriculum. The majority voters represented board appointees from three different gubernatorial administrations, including Youngkin’s, as well as former Democratic Governors Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam.
“Central to the board’s deliberations was a commitment to upholding academic freedom while empowering students with flexibility and autonomy in their educational journey,” VCU wrote in a statement announcing the decision. “The discussion clearly expressed support for the racial literacy classes, and these courses are accessible to students who wish to explore them.”
The decision was announced by Todd Haymore, the VCU BOV Rector,who said it
“is not about the content of our courses, only the graduation mandate.”
Haymore expressed gratitude to the faculty for creating the courses and urged students to “explore these courses and take the ones that interest you.”
“As a faculty member myself, I support our faculty’s role and expertise in developing our curriculum,” VCU President Michael Rao said in a statement. “I strongly support and encourage racial literacy courses and am pleased they are available for students. Our country has a long way to go to achieve inclusion and these courses will be very helpful. As President, I also understand that our board has the ability to vote on a general education mandate that applies to all students.”
Following nationwide protests and unrest triggered by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, VCU introduced a racial literacy requirement that examines various subjects through a racial perspective, such as media, activism, healthcare, psychology, and education, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
The VCU board consists of 16 members, with eight appointed by Governor Youngkin. With four seats set to open on July 1, Youngkin will have the opportunity to appoint additional members to the VCU board.
After VCU’s announcement, over 100 students staged a walkout during Youngkin’s commencement address, showing solidarity with Palestinians and protesting the Republican’s stance against initiatives promoting racial equity in education, as highlighted by the Washington Post.
GMU’s interim Provost Kenneth D. Walsh acknowledged in an email to staff that some stakeholders, including certain Board of Visitors members, still have reservations about implementing “Just Societies” courses, which focus on identifying barriers to justice and equity, along with strategies to address them, within the Mason Core curriculum.
“Given that fall registration opens for first-year students in a matter of weeks, we must put forward a definitive answer now,” Walsh wrote, according to the Examiner. “And my answer to whether to implement the requirement is neither ‘yes’ nor ‘no.’ Rather, it is ‘not yet.’”
GMU has decided that DEI classes will not be compulsory for undergraduates starting this fall, with the final decision on the mandate’s future resting with the incoming provost who assumes office on July 1, rather than Walsh.
In a recent development, a committee report presented to the GMU Board of Visitors raised concerns about the university’s alleged indoctrination practices and suppression of diverse perspectives through DEI programs and curriculum, following complaints from students.
Committee member Michael J. Meese, appointed by Youngkin, expressed to Inside Higher Ed his belief that Youngkin’s executive order on Day One, which prohibits the use of divisive concepts like critical race theory in Virginia’s K-12 public schools, should also extend to state public universities.
“I think it also should apply to us — that you should not have DEI offices or any other offices or any other professor that is promoting inherently divisive concepts,” Meese said.
Reginald Brown, a GMU Board of Visitors member appointed by Youngkin, expressed to Inside Higher Ed on Monday that a majority of the board members have reservations about implementing a Just Societies mandate without additional deliberation with the new provost and incoming board members.
“There’ll be three or four new incoming board members in July,” Brown noted. “I don’t believe that the university should shy away from inherently divisive concepts.”
