The MAGA-majority UVA Board of Visitors passed a resolution on Friday to order the end to the school’s DEI programs.
What took them so long, right?
The vote was done in accord with a Jan. 21 executive order from Donald Trump that terms DEI programs – the acronym refers to diversity, equity and inclusion – as “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral.”
A press release from the office of Gov. Glenn Youngkin announcing the UVA Board vote adds the adjectives “discriminatory and illegal.”
ICYMI
The only word on the BOV vote at this writing, in the 7 p.m. ET hour on Friday, is from the governor’s office.
Odd, that.
Nothing yet from UVA, which is apparently busy making sure, per the BOV resolution, that “all University programs, policies, practices, and actions in every regard comply with the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other federal civil rights laws.”
This, at least, is what the governor’s office says the resolution says.
The resolution, again, according to the governor’s office, also requires UVA President Jim Ryan “to report back within 30 days to update the Board on the University’s progress in complying with this resolution and present any substantial policy changes for approval in compliance with Executive Order 14173, federal law, and any new guidance from federal authorities.”
Thirty days is Sunday, April 6.
Ryan ought to slow-walk this to 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 6.
ICYMI
“The Board of Visitors voted for common sense, saying ‘no’ to illegal discrimination and ‘yes’ to merit-based opportunity,” said Youngkin, who wouldn’t know “merit-based opportunity” if it bit him in the arse.
“DEI is done at the University of Virginia,” Youngkin said. “We stand for the universal truth that everyone is created equal, and opportunity is at the heart of Virginians’ and Americans’ future.”
Just to be clear: DEI isn’t “done” at UVA; it’s just paused until Jan. 17, 2026, when Abigail Spanberger is sworn in as Virginia’s 75th governor.
“As an immigrant who came to this country as a little girl, it was the promise of equal opportunity and fairness that embodied the American Dream. That’s what I’m fighting for every Virginian to have,” said Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Black woman who is having to fight the perception among Republicans that she is a “DEI” candidate in the GOP governor’s race.
“The University of Virginia’s decision to disband its DEI office and uphold federal law is a victory for students, faculty, and taxpayers. It’s also a victory for everyone who aspires to achieve the American Dream just like I did,” Earle-Sears said.
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Chris Graham
