Disaster is looming over universities affected by President Donald Trump’s executive order that halted government diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and spending. Or not: The policy might just bring higher education back to a normal balance of power.
Despite a grim outlook from universities with concerns over “suspending research projects, canceling conferences and closing offices,” it seems that schools will now be able to do their own thing. Trump’s order will dismantle DEI-advancing frameworks — “under whatever name they appear” — but it does not intend to flush out “diversity” as a concept. Still, the fear of diversity loss is what academic DEI proponents should be clinging to. Financial fears are easily remedied, and frankly, they should have expected such things as “diversity-associated” funds to backfire.
However, around the same time that…
