BUZZ
New hire will assist with Office of Diversity
Samford University in Alabama is advertising a job for a “diversity” staffer after removing “diversity, equity, and inclusion” references from its website following media inquiries.
“The Program Coordinator for the Office of Student Success and Diversity will … work collaboratively to create an inclusive campus environment where all students feel welcomed, valued, and supported,” the job description states.
The coordinator will plan and implement “diversity-focused programs and events that promote cultural awareness, engagement, and belonging among students, faculty, and staff,” it states.
The description also states that the new hire will assist with the Office of Diversity. The university prefers that candidates have “training that demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of diversity and inclusion principles.”
The private Christian university deleted the job posting from its website following inquiries from 1819 News. However, the listing is still accessible on external job platforms.
Meanwhile, “Supporters of the university and board members were told emphatically that the school does not have an active diversity, equity and inclusion program,” 1819 News reported.
The school also removed a DEI report from its website earlier this year following questions from the outlet.
Samford’s DEI program originated from its Racial Justice Task Force.
The task force’s final report stated that it aimed to integrate “concepts of race, racism, justice, equity, and racial justice as permanent and easily recognized components of the curricular experience for all Samford undergraduate and graduate students.”
The report stated that “As of April 2023, over 90% of the expected initiatives have either been completed or in Progress.”
When 1819 News inquired about this report, the university scrubbed the document from its website.
The new job posting’s responsibilities reflect the Racial Justice Task Force’s recommendations and initial drafts of the school’s Diversity Action Plan, 1819 News reported.
Samford President Beck Taylor recently criticized press coverage of the university’s DEI initiatives and announced that the Board of Trustees voted to confirm the university’s commitment to “biblical justice,” The College Fix previously reported.
In a private speech to faculty, Taylor referred to 1819’s articles as an attempt to “stir the pot among some who think that any mention of racism and sexism in our culture and in our educational institutions is a violation of some newly imagined social contract that magically eliminates the need to continue to educate students on important elements of our history and of our current lived experience.”
The outlet’s previous coverage highlighted initiatives like faculty bias trainings, the Task Force on Racial Justice, and a professor’s artwork that uses torn Bible pages to critique the church’s historical complicity in racial injustice.
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Samford University Diversity Action Plan logo
