The UNC System Board of Governors, which oversees public colleges and universities in the state, voted Thursday to repeal and replace its policy on diversity and inclusion, a move that could lead to the elimination of diversity-related positions at schools across the state.
Dozens of students planned protests about the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion policies and potentially jobs before Thursday's final vote, the last step in a month-long process by the UNC System board. Two protesters were detained in the lobby of the building, far from the meeting.
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The 24-member board has all been appointed by Republican state lawmakers. The move comes as universities in other states, including Florida and Texas, have cut diversity jobs.
The vote was not done by roll call, but two board members voted no: Joel Ford and Sonja Phillips Nichols, who are Black.
"Higher education does not exist to settle the most difficult debates in our democracy," UNC System President Peter Hans said at the meeting. "Our role is to host those debates, to inform them, to make them richer and more constructive. That's a vital responsibility, and we can't fulfill it if our institutions are seen as partisan actors in one direction or another."
Hans said higher education must maintain "principled neutrality," saying it enhances free speech rights, protects academic freedom and "allows us to welcome genuine diversity."
Nichols, from Charlotte, said she wanted people to feel as if they had been heard.
"I just want it to be said that there were some people who felt they weren't heard," she said after the meeting. "And that I wanted to say I could say I represented the people who said, 'We didn't feel heard.'"
Gene Davis, a member of the board, said DEI programs and their predecessors "have made our universities feel more welcoming to a more diverse group of people from North Carolina and beyond." He credited the programs with making the universities more reflective of "the richly diverse fabric of our state and have made our universities more welcoming for all."
But Davis, a Raleigh lawyer, said he favored the change to the policy, saying he had been made aware of things done in the name of DEI that made him uncomfortable.
"It hurts when you feel that you're not accepted and that your differences are held against you," he said. "I don't want any student, any potential student, any faculty member, any staff member, any alumni or any citizen of our state to ever have that feeling."
Pearl Burris-Floyd, a retired scientist and former state lawmaker who serves is the secretary on the Board of Governors, worked in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion. She said she hoped that campus leaders would not feel as if the board has turned its back on them.
"Diversity, equity and inclusion — and I must add belonging — are part of growing," said Burris-Floyd, a Black woman.
What the policy says
The new Board of Governors policy calls for each institution to certify by Sept. 1 that it "fully complies with the university's commitment to institutional neutrality and nondiscrimination."
It requires each school to "include a report on reductions in force and spending, along with changes to job titles and position descriptions, undertaken as a result of implementing this policy and how those savings achieved ... can be redirected to initiatives related to student success and wellbeing."
In an information sheet handed out by the Board of Governors after the vote, it said "the goal of this policy is not necessarily to cut jobs, but to move our universities away from administrative activism on social and political debates. It is going to take some time to determine how many positions could be modified or discontinued to ensure that institutions are aligning with this revised policy."
The new policy places an emphasis on equality, stating that "each be treated as an individual deserving of dignity and inclusion." In defining diversity, it lists "backgrounds, beliefs, viewpoints, abilities, culture and traditions."
The new policy complete replaces the previous policy, put in place in 2019, that establishes "system-wide diversity and inclusion metrics and goals" and created a "UNC System diversity and inclusion council."
Job cuts and policy changes
DEI programs across the system had similar goals, but used a variety of new tools to meet those goals.
UNC expanded a program to help low-income, first generation students apply for college. NC State is in a partnership to provide digital equity in all 100 counties in the state.
UNC Charlotte added Google Select Language widgets on their web pages, and the DEI office at App State pushed through the "Chosen Name Initiative" where students could change their IDs and diplomas from birth name to chosen name.
Last week, ahead of the final vote, the Board of Trustees at UNC-Chapel Hill — the state's flagship university — voted to authorize the chancellor to move $2.3 million in DEI spending to police and public safety on campus.
"I think that DEI is divisive," said trustee Dave Boliek, the Republican Party's nominee for state auditor. "I don't think it's productive. I don't think it gives a return on investment to taxpayers and to the institution itself."
Hans said Thursday that the vote by the UNC Board of Trustees was not in compliance with Board of Governors' policy. The trustees included a note about the transfer in their all-funds budget submission to the governors.
A 2023 UNC-Chapel Hill report outlined 25 positions that have at least 50% of their work dedicated to diversity and inclusion efforts, including seven within the Office for Diversity & Inclusion. The list also included positions such as the Director of the Office of Rural Initiatives for the School of Medicine and the program coordinator within the Gillings School of Public Health.
UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts said last week that it was premature to discuss specific cuts or job losses.
UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and North Carolina Central University are among the UNC System schools impacted by the changes. The board oversees 16 public schools as well as the School of Math and Science.
"We're not here to require everyone to think the same way about race, gender, or any other challenging topic," the board said in its information sheet.
Political division
House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland County, said Wednesday that the board was "getting rid of the wasteful spending for DEI." Any savings would be redirected within each campus, the board said in its information sheet.
Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, called the decision "a political vote."
“Our diversity should be shown as a strength, and has helped us grow as a state. It shouldn't be used to show our political divisions,” Cooper told WRAL in an interview Thursday. “And, unfortunately, I think that's what this vote is about. It's a political vote to show political divisions. I'm concerned about the protection of students on our campuses. I'm concerned about whether this will hurt our ability to recruit innovators, scientists and researchers."
In November 2022, Cooper established the Governor’s Commission on Public University Governance following controversies and turnover at the UNC System and campuses. Cooper was concerned that political influence was leading to “bureaucratic meddling” at the state’s universities, he said in a statement late last year.
In June, the bipartisan commission released a series of recommendations, such as expanding university boards to increase geographic representation and provide greater diversity of ideology. The commission also pushed for more transparency among board members. None of those recommendations were implemented.
"You need to think about North Carolina and its position on the world stage. Because when we're talking about diversity, it's a positive thing. You look at private companies. They emphasize their diversity, because they know it increases profits for them and increases their bottom line because the outcome is better, because they've had more different viewpoints as part of their input," Cooper said.
"And so I think, in North Carolina, we need to stop using our public schools and our universities as political tools, and continue to use them in our economic development and making sure our young people and adults get the best education that they can get. We still have the best state in the country. We still have the best community college and university system in the country, but I worry about these kinds of decisions and how they might affect our future.”
Democratic leaders also arrgued that DEI has made students from an increasingly diverse North Carolina feel welcome. Democrats also say repealing these policies could drive new businesses away from our state.
"I talk to legislators in Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia. They’re telling me, ‘you keep going this way, we’re already going after your future industry,'" Rep. Maria Cervania, D-Wake, said.
American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina executive director Chantal Stevens called the decision "deeply troubling." The ACLU said it is calling on the board to reconsider its decision.
"Our university campuses must be environments where students feel included and are able to fully engage academically, and DEI programs serve an important role in achieving this," she said. "Pulling funding from these programs undermines these efforts."