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Candidates aren’t required to ‘submit a statement of any kind as part of the hiring process,’ university says
The University of Nevada Las Vegas recently posted a library security guard position that basically requires candidates to agree with its diversity, equity and inclusion position, according to the job description.
The role of the “Safety Operations Supervisor” is to “oversee and maintain the safety and loss prevention of the University Libraries for our faculty, staff, students, and patrons” from 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, according to the description.
The job also involves “role modeling” and supervising up to 10 safety student employees. The starting salary is listed as $47,000.
Multiple sections of the job post emphasize that the candidate should have a “commitment to diversity.”
The “UNLV UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES COMMITMENT to DIVERSITY” section states that the “successful candidate will demonstrate support for diversity, inclusiveness as well as leading a respectful, positive work environment. The University Libraries values begin with our belief that everyone deserves a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable environment where they are treated with respect and dignity.”
It also states that the university “especially welcomes applications from women, persons of color, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, and others who contribute to diversification.”
In another section labeled “COMMITMENT to DIVERSITY and CAMPUS VALUES,” the job post states that a “successful candidate will support diversity, equity, and inclusiveness and contribute to a respectful, positive work environment.”
It points applicants to the university’s “Campus Values” for more details on the characteristic that it desires in employees.
Additionally, the “Profile of the UNLV UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES” section of the job description welcomes “individuals with diverse backgrounds to join our growing organization.”
When The College Fix asked about the job and DEI statements, the university media relations office replied via email: “To clarify, there is no requirement for applicants to agree to or submit a statement of any kind as part of the hiring process. UNLV follows all federal hiring guidelines.”
“The language referenced in your request is part of a general disclosure in job announcements that encourages applicants to consider the university’s campus values in the course of their work,” the office stated via email.
UNLV did update the job listing after The Fix first inquired about the DEI elements, but none of the changes were to the sections in question.
Chance Layton, a spokesperson for the National Association of Scholars, told The Fix that requiring candidates to agree to DEI policies is “an ideological litmus test that screens out views that are not far-left.”
When asked about the legality of hiring based on race and gender, Layton responded, “Preferential hiring has always been wrong; it’s just taken some time for the courts to come back to reality and start ruling as such.” NAS is a non-profit organization that advocates for intellectual freedom, virtuous citizenship, liberal arts education, and reform in higher education.
This is not the first time a university has asked non-instructional employees to adhere to its DEI mission.
In 2023, The College Fix reported that Eastern Washington University “required janitors to submit a diversity response.”
The public university asked applicants to ”describe how you will apply an approach that is supportive to the diverse needs, including universal access, of our students, faculty, staff, and the public.”
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