(The Center Square) – The Trump administration’s campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is a topic of discussion on Illinois college campuses.
Dozens of institutions are under investigation for alleged racial discrimination related to DEI programs and some may lose federal funding.
The Illinois Board of Higher Education recently announced it was pausing all activity related to DEI-related scholarship programs and planned to review the matter with lawmakers.
During an Illinois House Appropriations and Higher Education Committee hearing, University of Illinois system President Timothy Killeen said the system could lose up to $120 million, but he isn’t overly concerned about the prospect.
“If it’s a storm, we will weather the storm like we weathered past storms and come out stronger than ever and we want to be seen that way by our General Assembly partners,” said Killeen.
U of I officials said that they will not strike sensitive words from websites under pressure from the federal government but will add language stating its activities are open to all.
The U.S. Department of Justice reported earlier this month that the state of Illinois and six universities have suspended a minority-only scholarship program after a lawsuit threat from the department.
“This latest victory illustrates that the threat of legal action can be enough to force bad actors into dissolving harmful practices that disregard merit and divide Americans based on race,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 15 attorneys general in issuing guidance to help colleges and universities understand the legality and viability of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies and practices in education.
“As Illinois’ chief law enforcement officer, I am committed to enforcing federal and state civil rights laws to protect the rights of all people in Illinois and across the nation against discriminatory practices,” said Raoul. “I will continue to stand with my fellow attorneys general as we condemn discrimination in any form.”
