BUZZ
Moves come amid pressure from Trump administration
Stanford University has shut down its diversity, equity and inclusion office, a move that includes laying off at least two employees. Meanwhile, Cornell University has renamed its DEI office to the Office of Academic Discovery and Impact.
At Stanford, the university in mid-July dissolved its Office for Inclusion, Belonging and Intergroup Communication, laid off its director and one part-time employee, and transferred some of its programs and one staff member to the Office of Student Engagement, the Stanford Daily reported.
The former director of the office, Ester Sihite, told the newspaper the writing was on the wall: “While Sihite was conducting the ‘Certificate in Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Praxis’ program in December 2023, the University unpublished the website and reviewed the curriculum in response to a complaint.”
The venerable West Coast university also removed DEI information from its websites in February, following an executive order from President Donald Trump in January deeming divisive DEI ideology a violation of civil rights and discrimination laws.
On the opposite end of the country, Cornell University has renamed its DEI office.
“Cornell has officially renamed its Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives to the Office of Academic Discovery and Impact,” the Cornell Daily Sun reported Aug. 2.
“The new OADI emerged as a way for students to see themselves in our space be they first generation, low income, foster youth, Veterans, non-traditional, transfer, students from diverse backgrounds and/or any other student that finds space in our community,” the university’s emailed announcement on the change stated, according to the Sun.
The New York university did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment on why the name was changed or if it was linked to the ongoing discussions with the Trump administration. As The College Fix previously reported, Trump officials froze about $1 billion in federal funds to Cornell in April amid allegations of antisemitism and racial discrimination.
In March, Cornell officials blamed a “clerical error” for the removal of some DEI language on its website.
More than 150 universities have closed or renamed their DEI offices over the last two years, according to a College Fix survey.
MORE: Nearly 90 universities have rebranded their DEI offices, College Fix survey finds
IMAGE: A closed sign / Nampix, Shutterstock
