(The Center Square) – Removal of diversity policies in higher education has passed one chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly.
Struck down on the way across was an amendment from Sen. Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake, that began, “An act to do absolutely nothing useful …”
Eliminating “DEI” in Public Higher Ed., also known as Senate Bill 558, is a proposal authored by Republican Sens. Brad Overcash of Gaston County, Phil Berger of Rockingham County and Kevin Corbin of Macon County. Overcash says the discriminatory practices of diversity, equity and inclusion policies are “divisive” and run counter to a “free exchange of ideas” and “critical thinking.”
Passage was not surprising. Senators favored the measure 28-18 with no Democrats for it and no Republicans against. Three excused absences were recorded; a vacancy remains, the chamber awaiting Democratic Gov. Josh Stein honoring the Cabarrus County Republican Party choice of Chris Measmer to replace departed Sen. Paul Newton.
Grafstein’s eventually tabled amendment would have changed six lines, the opening, to read, “An act to do absolutely nothing useful while failing to address the growing challenges that our higher education institutions face in the wake of the disastrous education policies of the NC GOP, the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, rescinding NIH grants and general chaos wrought by the Trump administration for the purposes of attacking freedom on campus and creating a chilling effect on colleges and universities and their administrators, professors, students and staff.”
The chamber will be 30-20 Republican majority when Measmer is seated, arguably making the proposal more for posture than expected substantive change.
Bill language identifies 12 concepts as divisive and needing to be eliminated. Among them: one race or sex is inherently superior; some by virtue of race or sex is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive; and moral character is determined by race or sex.
“North Carolinians,” Cobin said, “should not have to fork over tens of thousands of dollars only to be forced to conform to a set of beliefs that go against free speech and thought.”
Berger, the president pro tempore of the chamber, said campuses are plagued with “’DEI’ initiatives. We want campuses to be welcoming environments for all students.”
“Higher education as we know it was birthed right here in North Carolina,” Overcash said, a reference to the flagship campus in Chapel Hill of the state’s university system that is the nation’s oldest public university. “We have the best public colleges and universities in the nation, and we shouldn’t let the good work they do be overshadowed by these divisive concepts and discriminatory policies.”
