The recent proposal of Idaho Senate Bill No. 1357, which promotes the termination of diversity programs across Idaho campuses, has warranted strong opposition by the University of Idaho student body.
Jodi Walker, Executive Director of Communications at UI, was the first to speak about this issue.
“Our definition of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is rooted in our core values of excellence, respect, and integrity,” Walker said. “These values drive our DEI policies which ensure compliance with federal laws, foster a discrimination-free workplace, and emphasize the industry-relevant skills and knowledge our graduates need to be successful.”
To showcase the importance of DEI programs at UI, Walker cited the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) on campus, which provides financial and academic support services to students who have qualifying migrant or seasonal farmwork backgrounds.
“Our CAMP program is more than 20 years old, guiding first-generation students through the college experience,” Walker said.
She continued to mention how UI supports veterans with scholarships that “nearly completely offset on-campus living” costs to help with tuition and presents the Women’s Center as an example of a supportive resource that “helps all students navigate complicated topics of adulthood.”
“No two students are the same,” Walker said. “And we need to be responsive to each one.”
Two current students, Anthony Gonzalez and Andrea Morales, spoke to Boise’s KTVB about losing diversity programs at their UI campus.
“It just hits close to home for me,” Gonzalez said. “I’m in these programs, and they’ve helped me out so much.”
Removing DEI offices could also remove students from attending school, Gonzalez said, referencing his interactions with other students involved in DEI programs.
“These programs cultivated a sense of belonging for me at the university, in a place where I feel like I see very little real presentation,” Morales said.
Current DEI programs at UI provide cultural responsiveness and support of multiple world views, access to educational experiences by individuals of different backgrounds, acknowledgment of equity gaps, exemplification of ethical actions, language and conduct, and safety for everyone, according to the Office of Equity and Diversity. By collaborating with faculty, staff, and students to “develop an intentional, culturally literate and responsive community founded on respect,” UI is working to ensure a bias-free, safe space for every Vandal on campus.
“If we take people of color and people from underrepresented backgrounds away from certain job titles, it removes the culture, it removes the diversity and it removes the knowledge that we have from those areas,” Gonzalez said.
Rebekah Weaver can be reached at [email protected].
Dave
DEI programs are indicative of a mature society that seeks to offer opportunities to those with less resources and that have faced greater challenges. These students have already crossed the ‘merit’ threshold by gaining admission so DEI remove burdens allowing them to apply themselves in a more equitable manner. I believe there is only one minority serving institution out of the 14 four year colleges in Idaho, the College of Southern Idaho. Cutting these established programs impedes progress within the state.
Steve
DEI is purely racist. No other way to describe it. Using any other qualifier other than merit will cause racial division, resentment, and played out long enough will inevitably lead to an overall dumbing down of our society. For our country to remain strong we must encourage, hire and promote citizens that are our most intelligent, and hardest working members.
Lynda Ballard
I've lived and worked in Moscow for the last 62 years. Twenty of those years I worked on the WSU campus. The world has changed in those years and we all need to change with it. I felt very blessed to raise my children in a place where they could go to school and work with people of all different backgrounds. America is suppose to be the place of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". How can that happen unless we give everyone an equal chance. Don't pass a bill that keeps that from happening.
Rosario Wohlsen
White people already have privileges that minorities do not have. In order to be truly inclusive and promote equity we have to acknoledge and address that gap. This does not meand favori g minorities over white people but simply helping them overcome the disadvantaves and challenges that they have because of their backgrounds. It means just making sure that everyone has the same opportunities.
Michael
Yes it may cut funding for some people and some people may be not able to continue in school. But if this is in our idaho schools then we already lost. If we are not giving white brown black yellow people all the same opertunitys, which I would assume whites are the only ones excluded. Then this is not true enclusen to all. I am Hispanic and I do feel like this directly excludes white people.
Keith
Having any policy in place for anything that specifically mentions race, creed, or any other identifier other than pure merit is an inherently racist policy as per the definition of racism "treating people differently based on their race" and the same discrimination goes for gender, sex, region etc. this bill needs to be passed.