President Santa Ono says the University of Michigan decided to comply after receiving a letter from the Trump administration warning that its continued diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program would cost the university its federal funds.
In fiscal year 2024, the University of Michigan received more than $1 billion in federal money.
"They for years have been spending inordinate amounts of funding on … distracting from the core mission of institutions of higher education," notes Matt Beienburg, director of education policy at the Goldwater Institute.
A "frequently asked questions" page on the University of Michigan's new DEI changes specifies that services for students that were part of their DEI office "will shift to other offices, which will continue to support access and opportunity."
Staff tasked with implementing DEI are directed to "refocus their full effort on their core responsibilities." Reviews are to be made of the university's website to ensure it complies with Trump's executive order.
While he thinks this is a good first step, Beienburg says more needs to be done.
"Even with getting rid of these DEI offices … the student body is largely still being pushed to take and embrace many of the core tenants of DEI, of focusing on grievances and oppression and discrimination rather than the core pillars of American founding principles," Beienburg reports.
States reinforce executive action
The Goldwater Institute is working across the country on legislation to prohibit public universities from forcing kids to take DEI indoctrination.
In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine (R) has signed into law the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act (SB 1), which, among other things, makes DEI practices illegal at the state's public colleges.
"This is a great day for higher education in the state of Ohio," state Senator Jerry Cirino (R), who introduced the measure, told Fox News. "One of the key components in this major reform bill is the elimination of DEI, which has quite frankly become institutionalized discrimination in how students are treated, on how hiring is conducted at our state universities and community colleges. This needed to stop, and it is now going to be against the law to practice DEI in the state of Ohio."
He believes this law will do "tremendous things" for higher education in the state, but Democrats are not happy about losing this foothold on campuses. The ACLU and the NAACP are considering legal action.
While working on this bill over the last two and a half years, Cirino has heard from a number of parents, faculty members, and students, "many of whom didn't want to be identified simply because they have a fear of being ostracized by fellow students or penalized by their instructors."
"But the people of Ohio clearly want an equal playing field here for all students, for everybody to be treated well and on the same basis," Cirino told Fox.
He added that all of the Left's arguments against banning DEI have been "intellectually deficient."
Republican lawmakers in Kentucky also passed a restrictive anti-DEI bill into law last week, overriding a veto from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
