Mizzou which spawned modern campus racial protests to close its DEI office | The College Fix
The University of Missouri has announced it is closing its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office a decision made at a campus that, nearly a decade ago, saw students pioneer how racial activists can protest on campuses to force sweeping policy changes in the modern era.
Shuttering the DEI office is being blamed on pressure from Republican lawmakers and described as a preemptive decision to ward off any new laws, University of Missouri System President Mun Choi told reporters at a news conference. Many lawmakers in red states have passed legislation over the last two years curbing DEI programs at public institutions.
We re seeing the actions that have been taken in other states, said Choi, also chancellor at Mizzou, according to the Kansas City Star. There were divisions that were eliminated, the DEI divisions, and it resulted in larger staff layoffs.
And in our case, we wanted to be proactive because those staff members serve an important role in ensuring the success of our students.
Choi said administrators are shifting toward a race-neutral approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and not excluding any group in the name of inclusion, reported the Chronicle of Higher Education, which also attended the late-Friday news conference.