FEATURED
School has ended DEI research projects, spokesperson says
The University of Missouri is investigating a professor after he was secretly recorded admitting that diversity, equity, and inclusion activities persist at the university.
In a video released by the watchdog group Accuracy in Media, MU Sociology Department Chair Wayne Brekhus discussed the department’s continued DEI involvement despite state restrictions.
“Lots of us do DEI types of research and things like that. I do things with identities and inequalities and used to do a lot of LGBTQ research and things like that,” Brekhus told an undercover investigator.
Asked about the state lawmakers’ anti-DEI directives, Brekhus said they “haven’t hit the curriculum.”
He also described ways institutions have been able to bypass Missouri’s DEI restrictions.
“Usually what places did is, like, they changed the name or they put them under a different umbrella to make it less visible that it was DEI or things like that,” he said.
“It was mostly cosmetic, but in some cases that also meant, you know, if you’re folding it under another umbrella that isn’t explicitly listed as DEI, sometimes that means you’re cutting staff or you’re making it less visible to the students. So, like, those sorts of things have happened really everywhere,” he said.
Following the video’s release, the University of Missouri published a statement from Professor Brekhus on X.
“I apologize for my mistake. The video was taken last year as Mizzou was eliminating its DEI programs. I am fully aware that Mizzou no longer has DEI programs and does not conduct DEI research,” the statement reads.
The College Fix asked University of Missouri officials whether the school continued DEI research despite the state of Missouri’s regulations. In response, spokesperson Travis Zimpfer said, “Mizzou has complied with all federal directives to end DEI research projects.”
“We will continue to inform our faculty, staff and students of our policies to be in compliance with state and federal laws and guidelines regarding DEI,” he said.
Zimpfer also told The Fix, “Professor Brekhus’ conduct will be investigated, and appropriate actions will be taken.” He said the school has “no further details to provide on this personnel matter.”
Reached for comment, Professor Brekhus declined to be interviewed.
After publishing its undercover video, Accuracy in Media described Missouri’s DEI restrictions as a “weak, toothless DEI ban” in an accompanying article.
“Missouri students should not be forced to sit through divisive identity politics simply to earn a degree from a taxpayer-funded university.”
The organization went on to highlight DEI restrictions in Kansas and North Carolina, which are “aimed at preventing identity politics from simply migrating into other areas of public institutions”.
AIM president Adam Guillette told The College Fix via phone call that North Carolina’s anti-DEI laws should serve as a model for other state legislatures to adopt for their own public universities. The state explicitly bans the teaching of DEI concepts, along with research into DEI topics.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order strictly forbidding executive agencies from using state funds for any DEI initiatives. The state does not have an explicit ban on teaching DEI in course curricula.
However, President Trump’s “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing” executive order bans the use of taxpayer funds for DEI initiatives.
Accuracy in Media is urging Missouri citizens to hold the school accountable through its new website, SaveMissouriStudents.com. Individuals can send messages to Missouri lawmakers advocating for stronger DEI restrictions.
“Tell them that radical administrators should not be plotting ways to circumvent the law in order to advance their divisive ideology,” the website states.
