The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Board of Trustees unanimously voted to divert $2.3 million from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to support “public safety” initiatives, specifically campus police, in response to recent anti-Israel protests. The decision was made during a special board meeting on Monday morning.
Marty Kotis, the vice-chair of the board's budget and finance committee, played a key role in introducing and passing the “flex cut amendment.” During the meeting, he expressed criticism of DEI programs, labeling them as “discriminatory and divisive.”
“When you destroy property or you take down the U.S. flag and you have to put up gates around it – that costs money,” Kotis remarked. “It's imperative that we have the proper resources for law enforcement to protect the campus.”
“It's important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just the 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university's operations,” he added.
On April 30, an on-campus protest resulted in the replacement of a U.S. flag with a Palestinian one. The U.S. flag was flying at half-staff to honor four law enforcement officers who were killed in Charlotte the day before. Thirty-six demonstrators were detained, and six were arrested.
Activists attempted to take down the reinstated U.S. flag a second time but were stopped by members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Footage from the scene promptly went viral.
Describing the latest developments, USA TODAY's Jorge L. Ortiz explains:
The UNC Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which did not respond to USA TODAY messages seeking comment, says in its website that it aims to “celebrate all members of the Carolina community, to broaden our collective understanding, and foster a sense of belonging by uplifting diverse identities, cultures, experiences, and perspectives.''
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, a noted UNC alumna, retweeted a story by the Raleigh News & Observer reporting on the DEI story, but she did not comment on it.
Hannah-Jones, who created the acclaimed 1619 Project for the New York Times Magazine exploring the legacy of slavery in the U.S., was appointed to a professor position at UNC in 2021, but the Board of Trustees rejected the journalism department's recommendation and denied her tenure, leading to an outcry from students and faculty. She eventually turned down the post and joined the Howard University faculty instead.
North Carolina is only the latest in a string of states taking aim at DEI programs in public universities, a move spearheaded by conservatives. Texas and Florida are the two largest states to banish them, behind GOP governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis, respectively. North Carolina has a Democratic governor in Roy Cooper, but Republicans have at least a 20-seat majority in both the state Senate and the House.
Next week, the full Board of Governors will consider imposing restrictions on DEI initiatives across the UNC system, which includes 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
If approved, the change will take effect immediately. University chancellors will be required to outline plans for scaling back DEI programs by the fall semester.
Accuracy in Media (AIM) President Adam Guilette revealed to American Liberty News that he was pleased but not complacent with the shifting tide.
“Like Churchill said after the Second Battle of El Alamein, ‘This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps, the end of the beginning.'” Taking the fight to the intolerant elite, Guilette noted that AIM owns “more than 400 domains” connected to radical students and educators publicizing their radical views. “I expect we'll have more than a thousand soon,” he said.
AIM's mobile billboards continue to crisscross the nation, exposing the infestation of radicalization, and instances of hate, at college campuses across the country. Speaking over the phone, Guilette mentioned that AIM will be present at Berkley, Columbia and other schools for commencement day.
“There is no statute of limitation for antisemitism. Apologize or we'll see you at your place of employment.”
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