As soon as President Trump took office, he issued an executive Order to protect civil rights and end discriminatory diversity equity and inclusion (DEI), policies within the federal government. The directive also applies to organizations that receive federal funds. Virginia colleges and universities have indicated they are falling in line with the directive–announcing the elimination of DEI offices–but are they truly ending racist DEI practices?

Media outlets in the state and across the nation have claimed that DEI has died at Virginia colleges and Universities. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, even stated that “Discriminatory DEI Policies are being dismantled in Virginia’s colleges & universities.” Our research shows a different picture: some schools want to make it appear that they have abolished DEI.

On April 4th, Virginia Tech’s (VT) president Timothy Sands — a Berkeley trained educator — spoke to students and employees about DEI . Sands said that the Trump DEI directives were based on interpretaions of law and not the actual law. He also claimed that the views had changed due to the political climate. Sands also stated, “We want to see our students be politically engaged and active” and that he would like to know “if there’s anything we can do to facilitate this engagement.” Sands appeared to be using his role as college president to encourage students into becoming activists in opposition to the executive order.

The “progressive” university leaders don’t seem to want to comply.

Continues DEI at Virginia’s Public Universities

VIRGINIA Tech

The VT Board of Visitors adopted a Resolution in March to ensure that the school adheres with civil rights laws and is compliant with the Trump Order. This resolution also disbanded the Office of Inclusive Strategy and Excellence. President Sands publicly stated he didn’t like this resolution.

It was required that incoming students complete a racist DEI module before admission in 2023. The training taught students that they were either oppressors or oppressed based on their race and privileged status. The training explained that “Privileged Groups typically have more power than oppressed Groups.” “Even if you do not personally possess power, you could still be a part of structural power, where you benefit.” The students were also required to complete a worksheet in order to answer questions on how to identify “privilege.”

New Virginia Tech students can now slide out of mandatory training

Restoration News contacted Virginia Tech in order to determine if this training was no longer required for admissions. We received no response.

VT is continuing to promote divisive DEI agendas and affinity groups, such as “InclusiveVT” which asks for “letters from Social Justice Mountain”, and “contributors who represent a range if identities” to “resist the erasure of this erasure by writing personal letters and appealing to higher education in order to tackle head-on challenges to institutional equity.” Radical DEI advocate Menah Pratt, whose salary is $451,000, Heads up InclusiveVT. He is also Vice President for Diversity and Strategic Affairs in the School of Education. Pratt was praised by President Sands, who said that InclusiveVT can only be successful if “it is embedded in everything we are doing.” ”

VT’s Economics Department continues promoting DEI initiatives, which include “working on expanding representation of historically underrepresented group through active faculty recruiting and involvement through Virginia Tech’s Future Faculty Diversity Program.” The website shows their goal of actively recruiting “a broader range of students.”

The University of Virginia announced that it would close its DEI office by March 7th, but there is no evidence that they are actually removing racial-based and divisive practice.

The UVA DEI website, is still active. It refers students to various resources that are not in line with the executive order of President Trump against discrimination. UVA continues to advertise student affinity groups that are supported by the University, including the Critical Whiteness Study Group. The website of UVA states:

“Together, this research is built upon the explicit connection between whites operating under white supremacy and then how that operation impacts people of Color. . . “[We must] investigate the inextricable link between liberation for whites and people of Color.”

Another UVA affinity, “LovEd,” encourages to “promote professional development for K12 educators in order to provide age-appropriate development of gender identity.” UVA’s School of Education is ranked among the nation’s best schools and is pushing gender ideology on children.

UVA continues to promote SEEDS For Change, whose mission is “continually reflect on our biases and cultural assumptions while demanding that the School of Education do the same”, as well as “critically audit and uncover normative power dynamics, and advocate for social justice”

The UVA Psychology Department is promoting, a toolkit of “anti-racism resource for white people”, to help them “recognize and identify their privileges” as well as “identify opportunities to engage in an anti-racism action.”

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY

VCU announced the closure of its DEI office on 21 March but continues to push DEI “by promoting and fostering an environment of diversity, inclusivity and equity.” The English Department is still committed to:

QUOTEcreate an educational and culturally diverse department. We are working together to eliminate long-standing injustices in our disciplines by cultivating a faculty that is sensitive to historical and contemporary forms of exclusion. /QUOTE

VCU’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action framework calls for social actions on “antiracist policies and Black Lives Matter.” There is also an Council which has a “campus wide Inclusions Dashboard” to track and refine metrics.

VIRGINIA COUNTY COLLEGE SYSTEM

One higher education institution appears to be following this executive order. The Virginia Community College System, which includes 23 colleges, claims that it has removed all racist DEI practices and programs. This does not include its DEI office. The Virginia Community College System announced that they had removed race-based hiring criteria and eliminated their “diversity equity inclusion and culture” advisory board. The executive order is not being circumvented by community colleges in the state, and there are no practices that cause division.

VCU, VT and UVA and perhaps other Virginia colleges are playing with the loss of federal funds.

What is at Risk if Non-Compliance?

U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent , a letter on February 14th to all schools and colleges in the country directing them to stop racist practices. McMahon stated, “If a school treats a student of one race differently from another because of their race, then the institution is breaking the law.” She also stated that the Education Department would enforce the law vigorously and non-compliance with the law could result in funding loss.

Schools that violate the executive order run a high risk of losing a lot if they continue their illegal and divisive practices. Woke universities receive significant federal taxpayer dollars. USA Spending reports that the U.S. Department of Education awarded UVA over 100 million dollars in federal grants, VCU 213 million dollars, and Vermont $70 million. According to VT President Sands, the school receives federal funding of $550 million annually.

Public universities try to appear compliant with the executive order of President Trump by claiming that their DEI departments were eliminated while pushing a divisive DEI program. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin urged the universities to comply but they snubbed him and put up a smokescreen. Gov. Youngkin and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon must take a close look at Virginia schools that refuse to comply. These schools need to end discriminatory practices, and implement merit-based opportunities.

If you don’t want to do that, then cut off their funding.

This article first appeared on Virginia Universities continue to defy Trump's Executive Order ending DEI