Speakers at a community forum on Tuesday said institutions of higher education must continue to be strategic and to support diversity efforts as states make drastic changes to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The hybrid event, which was hosted by and drew more than 100 people, was held just ahead of the Supreme Court鈥檚 imminent ruling on the legality of using race as a factor in college admissions. It featured small group discussions of topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as several speakers, including Paulette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, who gave the opening address.
Granberry Russell highlighted recent legislation in several states aiming to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion work in higher education. She also stated it is important to understand the history of previous rulings such as Bakke v. California in 1978 and Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003.
Granberry Russell urged the audience to read such legislation carefully and also stressed the importance of making a clear case for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education.
鈥淲e talk about academic excellence,鈥 she said. 鈥淗ow do you achieve excellence in the absence of diversity, whether that鈥檚 diversity of thought, diversity of experiences, diverse histories, diverse thinking about the future?鈥
Among the speakers was , who highlighted how work on diversity, equity, and inclusion relates to academic freedom and freedom of expression, which she said is 鈥渟o at the heart of our educational mission.鈥
鈥淭rue freedom of expression, where you鈥檙e actually pushing at people to rethink their ideas,鈥 to challenge assumptions and to make mistakes, requires building a diverse community where people feel like their voices can be heard, President Beilock said.
Working with individuals, and changing systems, can ensure 鈥渢hat we can have different voices, different lived experiences at the table, so that we cannot just have safe spaces, but what I like to talk about as 鈥榖rave spaces,鈥 where different viewpoints and experiences come together, where people feel like they can have discourse and dialogue,鈥 she said.
The online and in-person audience spent a good portion of the afternoon grappling with questions posed by the speakers.
, senior director of inclusive culture in Institutional Diversity and Equity, first defined terms that are often used interchangeably鈥攆reedom of expression, free speech, academic freedom鈥攁nd gave a primer on the First Amendment.
鈥淎n ability to express one鈥檚 opinions, ideas, thoughts, and beliefs freely without suppression, obstruction, and penalties is traditionally protected as a constitutional right,鈥 he said.
He described some of the standards universities have used to evaluate their response in various scenarios.
鈥淲e have seen campuses come in and ask, 鈥榠s this an imminent threat? Is this an incitement of violence?鈥欌
And then he asked the audience to consider how institutions can strike a balance between inviting speakers with diverse perspectives, respecting freedom of expression, and ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all members of the community.
, who will become vice provost for faculty affairs on July 1 and is also a professor of government and director of 天美麻豆鈥檚 program in politics and law, also posed questions for the audience to mull over and described the many factors that are weighed in the admissions process, of which race is only one.
said more opportunities for similar discussions would be forthcoming. And, noting a comment from a participant that the national attacks on DEI work are 鈥渄aunting鈥 and 鈥渆xhausting,鈥 she wrapped up the event on a high note, celebrating progress that鈥檚 been made since 2021, when she and , vice president for culture, belonging, and strategic engagement, arrived at 天美麻豆.
鈥淲hile using evidence-based data to center diversity, equity and inclusion work as well as showing how DEI is intricately connected to academic excellence, it is important to reflect on progress,鈥 Delalue said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been told in the last two years that we鈥檝e done more in diversity, equity, and inclusion here at 天美麻豆 than people have seen in a decade,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean that we鈥檙e solely responsible for eradicating years of oppressive systems鈥t does mean that we鈥檙e committed to the community. We鈥檙e committed to making spaces (for inclusive dialogue) to happen, and also ensuring that we uphold our institutional values.鈥
