John Yang:
Amna, Utah's Spencer Cox is the latest governor to sign a new law banning any state funding for programs dedicated to promoting diversity, including at state colleges and universities. Utah joins five other states, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Tennessee. They all have laws on the books restricting or banning DEI.
Lawmakers in 25 states have introduced more than 70 bills targeting DEI efforts at public institutions. The issue has flared up in the wake of the October 7 attacks in Israel and the war against Hamas. It sparked debates over tolerance, inclusion and academic freedom.
Shaun Harper is the executive director of the Race and Equity Center at the University of Southern California, and Greg Lukianoff is CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which is a free speech organization.
Shaun, I'd like to start with you.
What is lost when these offices are closed?
Shaun Harper, Executive Director, USC Race and Equity Center: Sure. Well, first off, thanks for having us.
An institution loses its fidelity to its mission. There are nearly 5,000 colleges and universities across the United States. Most of them include some language in their missions about preparing students for citizenship in a diverse democracy and other commitments to offering and assuring an inclusive learning environment for all students.
That is lost as institutions walk back their commitments to DEI. What's also lost is our ultimate contribution to the defense of our democracy. It is dangerous to send millions of college-educated people into the world and into our professions underprepared to deal with the inequities that have long disadvantaged our democracy.
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