‘Diversity’ officers make their mark on U.S. campuses

NEWS AND OPINION:

Is there a chance that diversity concerns could outshine academic goals in the nation’s institutes of higher learning? Jay Greene, a fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, and James Paul, a doctoral fellow at the University of Arkansas reveal just how diversity-conscious colleges and universities have become.

The average campus in the U.S. now has 45 people “tasked with promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion,” (DEI) according to their new study. On some campuses, that number is much higher. The researchers found that the University of Michigan is the top practitioner with 163 DEI personnel, for example.

But does DEI work?

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“Rather than being an effective tool for welcoming students from different backgrounds, DEI personnel may be better understood as a signal of adherence to ideological, political, and activist goals. In light of these findings, state legislators and donors who fund these institutions may wish to examine DEI efforts more closely to ensure that university resources are used effectively,” the authors wrote.

They also found that the University of Virginia and Ohio State University each employ 94 designated DEI personnel while the University of California, Berkeley and Virginia Tech follow, with 86 and 83 DEI personnel, respectively. Stanford University has 80 DEI staff, while the University of Illinois and the University of Maryland each have 71. Syracuse University and the University of Colorado at Boulder round out the top 10 with 65 and 62 DEI personnel, respectively.

They also provided comparisons between diversity hires versus academic hires. The researchers examined the diversity policy status of 65 universities that are members of the five “power” athletic conferences: the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 10, the Big 12, the Pacific 12, and the Southeastern Conference because they tend to be large public institutions chosen by many students simply because of geographic proximity. Find the study — and much more — at Heritage.org/education.

THE WORRIES ESCALATE

Uh-oh. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the House Democrats’ campaign chief, warned that his party would lose its majority if the upcoming midterm election were held now.

Politico reports that this blunt warning from the New York Democrat took place at a recent closed-door luncheon.

“It’s nice to see Democrats publicly acknowledge that voters are rejecting their socialist agenda,” observes Mike Berg, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

RECALLING THE CUOMO-FRIENDLY MEDIA

“Remember when the media were in love with Andrew Cuomo? We sure do. But now that he’s a proven serial groper, the media’s love fest with the disgraced Democratic New York Governor looks all the more embarrassing in hindsight,” reports Bill D’Agostino, media editor and research analyst for Newsbusters.org, a conservative press watchdog.

“Tuesday morning, New York Attorney General Letitia James held a briefing where she and a team of investigators announced that Gov. Cuomo had sexually harassed numerous women between 2013 and 2020. Furthermore, James reported that victims of the governor’s unwanted touching and harassment were not limited to members of his own staff,” Mr. D’Agostino wrote.

“These findings aren’t just a serious problem for the governor — they’re also a big mess for the media, who since early 2020 have been showering him with praise and adulation. Back during the start of the coronavirus pandemic, TV journalists described Cuomo as ‘brave,’ ‘honest,’ and even ‘the leader of the Democratic Party.’ MSNBC host Joy Reid even claimed that he had become ‘a kind of acting president,’” the analyst recalls.

“But the most acute case of Cuomo fever was — of course — CNN’s Brian Stelter, who closed the March 22, 2020, edition of ‘Reliable Sources’ with this proclamation: ‘Dealing with hardship actually makes you stronger. That’s what Gov. Cuomo said earlier today. That’s what I’m going to teach my kids right now at home,’” Mr. D’Agostino said in his report.

Find a video montage of similar press coverage at Newsbusters.org.

THE GOP’S REALITY CHECK

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee offers some terse commentary on imminent legislation from the Democratic Party.

“Democrats are pushing a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill chock-full of reckless spending, tax hikes, and far-left policies. This is the equivalent of $27,000 in new spending for every household in America. The true cost of Democrats’ reckless tax-and-spend spree is even higher than they admit,” the GOP said in its evaluation of the plans.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — a nonpartisan nonprofit organization — estimates the plan would actually cost up to a staggering $5.5 trillion because Democrats are using a “gimmick” to mask the actual price of their spending plan.

“Lawmakers apparently intend to have some policies expire before the end of the ten-year budget window, using this oft-criticized budget gimmick to hide their true cost,” the group said in its analysis.

“A No Labels/HarrisX poll found that 74% of the public is worried about the runaway inflation this bill will cause, with another 78% worried about higher taxes,” the analysis noted.

The poll of 12,403 registered U.S. voters was conducted July 16-21.

ON THE RADAR

Former White House press secretary and current Newsmax prime-time host Sean Spicer has a new book on the way, and the title tells all: “Radical Nation: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s Dangerous Plan for America.”

It has already earned praise from former President Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, Turning Point USA director Charlie Kirk and others. Mr. Trump, in fact, advises that the book is “MAGA all the way.”

It arrives from publisher Humanix Books on Oct. 26.

POLL DU JOUR

• 28% of U.S. adults say they have “never” worn a face mask when outside their home in the past seven days; 45% of Republicans, 33% of independents and 10% of Democrats agree.

• 28% say they have worn a mask “some of the time”; 30% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 24% of Democrats agree.

• 18% say they have worn a mask “most of the time”; 9% of Republicans, 15% of independents and 28% of Democrats agree.

• 27% say they have “always” worn a mask; 15% of Republicans, 25% of independents and 37% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted July 24-27.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.