WSUV Scrubs DEI Language from its Website

Washington State University Vancouver is removing mentions of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) from its website in compliance with current federal law. Earlier this year, the Department of Education sent out the “Dear Colleague” Letter to universities across the nation. This letter said that DEI programs could possibly be considered a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In late February the Office for Equity and Diversity was renamed to “Belonging and Unity”, (though still referred to as The Center for Belonging, Equity and Unity in other parts of the webpage) along with a notice about WSUV’s efforts to “comply with current state and federal laws”. In March the notice was removed. In May the office was completely renamed to “The Office of Community and Collaboration”. Any mentions of DEI are absent. Readers can track the changes on the Wayback Machine. 

Sandra Haynes, the Interim Chancellor of WSUV, says that Dr. Obie Ford, the Vice Chancellor for Community and Collaboration (formerly the Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) “Has been amazing at making these changes.” and he has  “been working very closely with CCR [Office of Compliance and Civil Rights] to make sure that compliance has reached. He is our superstar on that.”

Ford could not be reached for comment. 

Haynes said she has been in discussions around DEI language changes at WSU Vancouver since June, including coordination with Ford to reach out to CCR, but said it was all of the current WSU Vancouver leadership’s obligation to ensure compliance.  

These changes have not just affected the Community and Collaboration Center. For example, The Council on Equity Diversity and Inclusion has been renamed to The Council on Community, Engagement, Dialogue and Impact, and the BaCe program has been renamed from “Building a community of Equity program” to “Building a Community of Enrichment Program.” 

Lab websites have also been affected as well. The statement saying “with particular attention to advancing equity for BIPOC communities contending with systemic racism. CSEJ has long been the most diverse unit on the Vancouver campus” has been removed from the Collective for Social and Environmental Justice (CSEJ) website. 

Desiree Hellegers, The Director for the CSEJ said that she had to have her website “reviewed by the Center for Civil Rights, and, you know, letting us know what we can or can’t say there.” She said they were looking for very specific words and provided a link to an article from the New York Times containing a list of DEI-related words that the Trump administration wants to see removed or avoided from institutions which receive federal funding, some examples include discrimination, sexuality, transgender, and clean energy.  

“We were definitely told, “okay, you’re going to have to take this word out and that word out”, and we’re trying to find equivalent terms. She said “we’re basically warned that bots are running through our web materials all the time now in an attempt to essentially defund WSU.” 

Haynes and Brenda Alling, the Director of Marketing and Communications for WSUV, both denied bots having anything to do with the website changes. 

DEI has not been removed from WSUV’s website everywhere. The Goal 4: Equity and Diversity, the Chancellor’s Award for Advancing Equity, and Two different articles from the Bi-annual Northwest Crimson and Gray Magazine are still available on the WSUV website as of December 9. Ford’s title is still “Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” in some places on the website, though Alling clarified that is simply an oversight and not intentional.

When asked directly if Haynes supported DEI she said that “We are fully committed to access an opportunity on this campus. We do not discriminate with race, color, religion, national origin, sex.”