23 hours Ago
The Idaho State Board of Education is currently considering a proposal that would ban diversity-equity-inclusion (DEI) programs on all college campuses. But, in their deliberations, are they also looking at the unintended consequences of such action? A bit of background: The Idaho State Legislature has repeatedly expressed displeasure/distrust of DEI programs. Several legislators have called DEI unfair because it reportedly makes white students feel guilty about their place in society.
To date, the legislature has yet to define DEI despite heated debates on the topic. Still, in 2023 the legislature passed a higher education budget prohibiting DEI activities, and the State Board of Education may vote in December on a policy that would eliminate DEI activities at the state's colleges and universities. As a result, many state schools — including the University of Idaho — would be forced to disband their diversity programs.
At UI, this would include the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Women’s Center, the African American Student Center and the LGBTQA Center. For many people, DEI means promoting fair treatment of all people, but especially those groups who have been historically underrepresented or objects of discrimination because of their identity or disability. Traditionally, this includes people of different races, cultural backgrounds, religions, physical or intellectual abilities, economic and political backgrounds.
In short, diversity includes those things which separate us from one another as humans. Many people consider DEI as human rights. By eliminating programs which can help people better understand other cultures and people, the SBOE and state legislature will be placing Idaho students at a disadvantage in understanding the world.
As a professor, many times I had to explain to students why another culture was different. Not bad, just different. So many students made truly shocking/insulting statements to people of other cultures purely out of ignorance, often they did not know it was an insult.
In the business world, it would be a disaster. If Idaho is preparing students to work in this deeply interconnected world, the students must know how to interact with other cultures and people, or they will not be successful in their jobs..
