Texas and Florida aren’t the only ones uprooting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from their schools. Trump recently threatened to withhold federal funding from and potentially sue the endowments from underneath schools that carry out DEI-focused policies. You might be thinking that Congress is usually the branch that has power of the purse, but little things like “norms” and “constitutional allotments of authority” don’t really matter if no one stops Trump from doing what he wants. Threats like that are scary enough to make states act accordingly — even Blue ones. Minnesota, the North Star State, could be showing us what’s to come for the rest of our publicly funded colleges. MN Daily has coverage:
The search for a new assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Minnesota Law School is paused as the University reassesses its DEI programs, according to an email from Dean William McGeveran to Law School students, faculty and staff on Friday.
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“This is a disappointing development for many, and I know it brings questions and uncertainty for our community,” McGeveran said in the email. “My commitment to supporting all of our students, faculty, and staff remains unchanged, as does the Law School’s mission of building a legal profession representative of the people it serves.”
Between Trump’s rapid-fire executive orders and his sycophants hooting and hollering like a Family Guy bit whenever boat crashes, car crashes, or the financial crash that these tariffs will usher in get blamed on DEI, it isn’t likely that schools dependent on federal funding will broaden the scope of — or even maintain — their currently existing DEI programs. Just a reminder: this won’t just hurt aspiring Black lawyers — White women and veterans are huge DEI benefactors too. Expect initial resistance and fiery rhetoric about the importance of maintaining the programs, but try not to lose sleep when the enthusiasm goes the way of Gibson Dunn or Morrison Foerster.
UMN Pauses DEI Expansion, Hiring For Law School Assistant Dean Position [MN Daily]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
The post DEI Assistant Dean Position Goes ‘Need Not Apply’ At University Of Minnesota Law School appeared first on Above the Law.
Texas and Florida aren’t the only ones uprooting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from their schools. Trump recently threatened to withhold federal funding from and potentially sue the endowments from underneath schools that carry out DEI-focused policies. You might be thinking that Congress is usually the branch that has power of the purse, but little things like “norms” and “constitutional allotments of authority” don’t really matter if no one stops Trump from doing what he wants. Threats like that are scary enough to make states act accordingly — even Blue ones. Minnesota, the North Star State, could be showing us what’s to come for the rest of our publicly funded colleges. MN Daily has coverage:
The search for a new assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Minnesota Law School is paused as the University reassesses its DEI programs, according to an email from Dean William McGeveran to Law School students, faculty and staff on Friday.
…
“This is a disappointing development for many, and I know it brings questions and uncertainty for our community,” McGeveran said in the email. “My commitment to supporting all of our students, faculty, and staff remains unchanged, as does the Law School’s mission of building a legal profession representative of the people it serves.”
Between Trump’s rapid-fire executive orders and his sycophants hooting and hollering like a Family Guy bit whenever boat crashes, car crashes, or the financial crash that these tariffs will usher in get blamed on DEI, it isn’t likely that schools dependent on federal funding will broaden the scope of — or even maintain — their currently existing DEI programs. Just a reminder: this won’t just hurt aspiring Black lawyers — White women and veterans are huge DEI benefactors too. Expect initial resistance and fiery rhetoric about the importance of maintaining the programs, but try not to lose sleep when the enthusiasm goes the way of Gibson Dunn or Morrison Foerster.
UMN Pauses DEI Expansion, Hiring For Law School Assistant Dean Position [MN Daily]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
