Report: Two-thirds of U.S. colleges REQUIRE students to take DEI courses to qualify for graduation

04/16/2024 / By Laura Harris

A report by the pro-free speech organization Speech First has found that two-thirds of U.S. colleges mandate students to take diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) courses to qualify for graduation.

The report, which surveyed 248 public and private institutions of higher learning, found that 165 of those required students to take DEI-related courses to fulfill general education requirements. Among the 165 institutions requiring DEI courses for enrolled students, 59 percent (97 colleges) were public institutions while 41 percent (68 colleges) were private.

The investigation by the organization advocating for First Amendment rights on college campuses focused on identifying courses and training that stressed an “anti-racist” approach, often targeting concepts like “whiteness” or “white supremacy.” It also looked at the presence of forced “DEI statement” for faculty hiring.

According to Speech First, such courses tend to categorize students into Identitarian groups based on race, gender and political affiliations. These courses, in turn, foster an environment where individuals are viewed solely as either oppressors or oppressed. The group ultimately argued that such curricula undermine merit-based principles and stifle conservative voices.

“This erosion of merit-based principles and build-up of anti-American sentiment has had detrimental impacts on the quality of education and has fostered an environment where conservative voices are systematically marginalized, discredited, and silenced,” the report states.

“As DEI departments have grown on campuses, we have seen an increase in campus policies that regulate, monitor, and restrict student speech. The inquiry revealed that students are subjected to courses advocating far-left ideological perspectives and pushing far-left political advocacy.”

Harvard, UNC still have DEI programs despite 2023 SCOTUS ruling against them

Incidentally, the Speech First report found that two universities – the private Harvard University and the public University of North Carolina (UNC) – still have DEI programs despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against race-based admissions practices in the two back in 2023.

“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in his decision at the time. “Universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.”

“The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race. Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

Speech First Executive Director Cherise Trump called to abolish DEI graduation requirements not just in the universities named in her group’s report, but in all institutions across America. (Related: Texas governor signs bill ordering the CLOSURE of DEI offices across state-funded universities.)

“We call on legislators, educators, students, and parents to join us in abolishing DEI graduation requirements,” she said. “Our proposed measures include prohibiting mandatory ideological courses, ensuring instruction in constitutional principles, and emphasizing the importance of free speech in orientation programs.”

Visit PublicEducation.news for more stories about DEI programs in public universities and colleges.

Watch this video discussing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to block DEI programs on state colleges and universities in the Sunshine State.

This video is from THE HEALTHY AMERICAN channel on Brighteon.com.