JMU’s MAGA Board of Visitors votes to dismantle school’s DEI office

We’re, admittedly, playing catchup on the news that the JMU Board of Visitors voted a week ago to dismantle the school’s DEI office.

The April 11 move was a mere formality, of course, and JMU itself was late to the game, after UVA, Virginia Tech and VCU had already made similar moves.

The BOVs at the state-funded schools all have supermajorities of voting members appointed by MAGA Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whose attorney general, another MAGA, Jason Miyares, has been acting as the hatchet man on initiatives handed down by the Trump/Project 2025 folks.

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ICYMI

• UVA Board of Visitors does Youngkin’s bidding: ‘DEI is done at the University of Virginia’
• Virginia Tech board ignores opposition, bends the knee on future of DEI programs
• VMI superintendent addresses BOV ouster: ‘Bias, emotion and ideology’ factored into vote
• George Mason latest school to consider ending DEI programs at Trump’s behest

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And in fact, at JMU, the Board of Visitors is all Youngkin appointees, begging the question: what took them so long?

The White folks in charge want to pretend that the world is already a meritocracy, and that the only way people of color, women and the LGBTQ+ community can get ahead is through artificial means, aided by things like DEI – the acronym standing in place of diversity, equity, inclusion.

The move at JMU will eliminate four administrative positions, and the school’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX office will be moved to another division.

Per a statement from JMU, the budget for the DEI office will be reallocated to support Pell-eligible student scholarships, at a total value over four years at $1.8 million.

The tiny dollar figure there tells you that JMU already wasn’t doing much in the DEI field, and that eliminating the office is more about just pretending to stick it to the libs than doing anything meaningful.

“The action of the board today does not lessen our commitment in creating a diverse campus community,” the school said in its statement on DEI. “JMU remains a community that values the richness of all individuals and perspectives, where we support one another, collaborate, and elevate the enriching student experience and high-quality education provided at JMU.”

This all goes away next January when Abigail Spanberger and the Democratic attorney general are sworn in, of course.