Some Michigan students disappointed over university's removal of diversity statements: 'Worrying'

Students at the University of Michigan expressed disappointment that the college’s administrators ended diversity statements that were used in their hiring practices.

"I guess when you hear the word DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion), it definitely raises a lot of controversy just because of the way how, perhaps, some people are using it over others," Jasmine, a freshman from Fort Wayne, Indiana, told Fox News Digital.

The art and design major explained further, "I think there definitely still needs to be steps taken to make sure that minorities are still seen on campus. But, that also doesn’t mean limiting the opportunities of people just because they’re of a certain race."

Provost Laurie McCauley’s decision came from recommendations from an "8-member faculty working group," which she tasked to "explore the use of diversity statements in faculty hiring and promotion at U-M and elsewhere, and to make a recommendation." 

"I don’t think it's a good thing because I do think that there should be precautions in place to encourage people to think about the societal problems that continue to persist today," said Ben, a graduate student. 

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The Florida native continued, "If there is no larger body suggesting that we integrate schools, then that wouldn’t have happened everywhere."

"It’s slightly worrying for me," said Schnaede, a theater and cognitive science major.

"Not necessarily even behind the tough debate about whether DEI is working or not," the sophomore added. "I think it's a decision that should be made by the greater U-Mich community so that includes faculty, students, and staff — not just the regents. Overall, it's not a great idea."

The University of Michigan Board of Regents, which has a 6-2 Democratic majority, has also had discussions about the future of the bureaucracy associated with DEI initiatives at the university.

"I think it’s a little sad, first of all. I think DEI is something you should address," said sophomore Michael, a data science engineer.

Joseph, a senior studying architecture, was highly critical of DEI, telling Fox News Digital that it's "great" that the university removed diversity statements in hiring practices.

"I really don’t feel that it's necessary," he said.

"I feel like students are just great how they are, and we don’t need to have people being selected by race or gender or anything like that. We are just unique students," he said.

"I can relate to it. I have learning disabilities," said Evan, a double major in economics and film, television, and media. "I don’t know if I fully deserved to come here."

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"I don’t know if me having disabilities led more to me having an advantage over other people," he added.

On the other hand, Black students at UM previously criticized their school’s DEI initiatives, per the New York Times. DEI on UM’s campus has been viewed as a failure by Black students," as reported by the Times. One student called UM’s diversity efforts "superficial" and, despite the institution’s programs, they betrayed "a general discomfort with naming Blackness explicitly."

"I agree with that," Joseph told Fox News Digital, reacting in particular to the Black UM student calling DEI "superficial."

"I think it's trying to force students to come in not based on their merits. Instead, putting them in based on how they look or other aspects and not quite the representation," he said.

Princess-J’Maria Mboup, the speaker of the university’s Black Student Union, told the Times that "the students who are most affected by DEI — meaning marginalized communities — are invested in the work, but not in DEI itself."

"I think it makes sense," Ben reacted to Fox News Digital. "But I think a lot of them would also agree that eliminating — any kind of top-down removal or defunding of things is not good for the community."

Jasmine, who aspires to be involved with DEI efforts on campus, reacted to the Black students’ comments in the Times. She said that since she’s a freshman, she feels unqualified to discuss the school’s DEI programs.

"As far as I’m aware, I personally have not interacted very much with the school’s DEI programs," Jasmine said.

Furthermore, UM students addressed whether future students would feel included at the university after the diversity statement was nixed.

"I think their amount of inclusiveness probably won’t change more or less just because they are going to be inclusive, they probably are already going to do that," Jasmine said.

"It’s just the wording that keeps changing. I just think it's really a matter of what the experience will be like in the years to come, and I think that’ll speak more than anything else."