Final Friday, LSU President Invoice Tate alerted the employees and school that its Division of Inclusion, Civil Rights, and Title IX has a brand new identify: the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights, and Title IX.
Why the identify change? LSU clearly took this motion to counter mounting opposition to the college’s DEI agenda within the state legislature. The college hopes to stave off criticism of its range program by merely altering the identify.
LSU president Invoice Tate defined the motion in another way in an e mail message. Sadly, me no speakie gobbledygook, so I’m unable to translate it for you. I’ll quote a part of the message; you’ll be able to translate it your self.
Engagement is outlined in a number of methods. We use two types of the definition. For us, it represents a two-way course of that permits change on each side. To completely ship on the promise our flagship gives, we should have interaction with one another to alternate views and experiences and share potential options to our most urgent challenges. Second, engagement displays a severe dedication. We should commit to seek out[ing] methods to translate our discoveries and expertise to serve and elevate the state and its folks.
What the hell does that imply?
I draw these conclusions from LSU’s diversity-and-inclusion shuffle:
First, LSU just isn’t revising its DEI agenda; the truth that it has switched from utilizing the phrase inclusion to engagement doesn’t alter the college’s obsession with race and gender.
Second, President Tate’s word-salad justification for the change was in all probability written by the college’s attorneys, which tells us that the legal professionals are actually working the college – not the teachers.
Lastly, LSU‘s rebranding of DEI exhibits that its leaders are cowards. In the event that they’re totally dedicated to DEI, why change its identify?
As I simply stated, I believe the change was motivated by the worry that the conservative state legislature and Louisiana’s new governor will clamp down on LSU and maybe reduce its funding to punish it for its flirtation with DEI–higher training’s present obsession.
LSU desires to pursue its DEI agenda with out alienating its funding supply. As Robert Mann noticed, the transfer was dumb and ham-handed.
As well as, the change is a clear act of obsequious cowardice and a positive signal that LSU has misplaced its approach.