The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has finalized its requirement for diversity-contribution statements from all faculty members for tenure and promotion.
As reported Friday by Inside Higher Ed, the new policy says that the departments’ evaluations of teaching, service and research and future potential “must, where appropriate, consider the candidate’s diversity, equity, and inclusion activities and their impact.” Few institutions of UIUC’s size, according to Inside Higher Ed, have considered requiring diversity statements—and, effectively, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) —from all professors who hope to be tenured or promoted. Their column goes on:
The provost’s office describes the new DEI requirement as a one-page-maximum personal statement detailing “specific individual and/or collaborative activities aimed at supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as access.” Candidates should “include a discussion of the context, importance, and impact of their contributions along with their future plans for contributions. The candidate may choose to organize the statement by topic, activity, domain (e.g., research, teaching, and service), or in another manner.”
We wrote about the absurdity of this policy last year when it was in draft form. We asked, what happens if the teacher’s specialty is, say, high energy particle theory, or Chinese history or genetic markers for cancer risk?
Sorry, all faculty are expected to make efforts toward enhancing DEI.
The policy even mandates use of woke language in the required personal DEI statements. “Candidates should be sensitive about the use of language that perpetuate prejudices and words that apply external value judgments that minimize the experiences, strengths, and contributions of individuals and/or groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in academia.” Be sure to read the actual document from the university to understand the full meaning of the new policy. It leaves little if any room for exceptions.
In announcing the new policy, Andreas C. Cangellaris, UIUC’s provost, said that in order to meet the goals of its current strategic plan, the university must “catalyze innovation and discovery, find novel and proactive ways to educate students from all walks of life, and develop ever-deeper connections with the public we serve.”
This is tyranny by a minority. Americans overwhelmingly think DEI has gone too far. The most recent polling says huge majorities don’t even think race should be considered in college admissions. But the minority includes college administrators and they make the rules.
We wrote last week about a study showing how bloated American universities are with DEI staff, with U of I being among the worst. It now turns out that was vast understatement. All faculty are now DEI enforcers. As the Inside Higher Ed headline says, U of I is now “where DEI work is faculty work.”
What a tragedy to see an otherwise exceptional university trash its reputation in this manner.
If this isn’t a violation of the “compelled speech” doctrine under the First Amendment, I don’t know what is. Under established First Amendment law, government supported institutions like U of I cannot force people to make statements embracing any particular ideology. This violation is flagrant. Somebody needs to sue the daylights out of U of I.
-Mark Glennon
This column was updated to add the paragraph about language to be used in the personal statement and the full scope of the actual policy document.
Illinois education officials continuously claim there’s a teacher shortage across the state. Yet data from the state’s own Illinois Report Card shows that hiring at schools has been booming over the last 25 years, especially when you consider that student enrollment has been shrinking at the same time.
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Weekly crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department: Report through 5/12/2024.
Dude, just write:
“‘I’m extremely intimidated by intellectually superior POCs” and save everyone a few seconds of boring reading.
Nice adjectives though. I imagine you’re well hydrated.
I’m not sure why you think this is a problem. It’s far more likely to be a complete waste of time and effort than anything else. And it doesn’t actually require anything other than filling out a report.
Wake up, Stu. It’s nothing less than an assault on Western Civilization, as they guy quoted in WSJ said here. Wake up.“This is a battle for our culture and, in many ways, for Western civilization,” said the head of one of the dissident donor groups to the Wall Street Journal.https://www.wsj.com/articles/alumni-withhold-donations-demand-colleges-enforce-free-speech-11638280801?st=1va0du3oimfl7lf&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink. Wake up.
Destruction of Western Civilization is the point.
Should one be required to pronounce one’s unwavering belief in the values of the democrat party to keep their job at a university? of course not. But why is it OK that one must detail “specific individual and/or collaborative activities aimed at supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as access” to appease their employer, nearly all of whom are Quislings of the Democrat party? The Chinese Communist Party requires the same commitment from employees of rank too within major corporations or institutions of power. Workers must affirm their commitment to the values of the ruling political party. But it’s… Read more »
If I may, I think that there is another perspective to take on this. While this policy change may seem like an arbitrary and basic way of addressing the topic of diversity in the faculty and staff, from what I hear around campus, the motives behind this aren’t unfounded. There are problems with some tenured folks that frankly, aren’t great people. I’ve heard from many students of incidents involving bad perspectives and comments within class settings that aren’t relevant to material. I’ve heard about teaching that refuses to adapt to current ways of thinking that would be more beneficial in… Read more »
Random, are those saying that among the extreme left? The reason I ask is because whenever I hear those stories they are from the extreme woke complaining about moderates, conservatives or the non-woke, and they are unfounded. I hear countless stories like that from my kids and their classmates, and they are daily occurrences documented on sites like Campus Reform and The College Fix — occurrences so extreme they read like parody. I also hear consistently, from college faculty I know who are both left and center, that “the entire academy is walking on pins and needles,” or things to… Read more »
Well, I didn’t say racist specifically, and I think you ought to lighten up a bit. The people I hear this from are people whose opinions I trust, and they like most people aren’t blinded by rage and political ideology.
I would also like to bring up my point again that these happenings are affecting the culture on campus. I’m not saying whether or not all of these things I hear are wholly true or ‘punishable offenses.’ I’m saying that to bring up the fact that they are changing their way of thinking because of what may be happening.
Some people say things is the basis of your argument. Nonsense.
I don’t want to sound like Rob M, but Trump, and journalist alike, use this terrible rhetorical argument. “Some people say” is not an argument, it’s an unfounded accusation.
I wasn’t making an argument for or against this policy change; read carefully. I was making the point that they are moving forward with this initiative probably at least somewhat based on what seems to be happening on campus, regardless of whether or not this is “liberal left-wing Marxist blah blah blah.”
Ya’ll are really that scared of an even playing field huh?
A predictable result given Jim Edgar’s fear of Libertarians resulted in Edgar making U of I Trustees appointed by the Governor rather than elected.
do you leftists even know what “equity” means?-equal outcome for less input-if you really believe in “equity”,start donating half your check for “equity”-i ll keep my check,thank you very much-the linc card people can keep eating ramen noodles,not getting my money girls and boys
My God, quit saying “woke” like you understand. It’s about open-mindedness, empathy, seeing beyond you and yours. Accepting the new and different. Encouraging that is GOOD. I try to be “woke,” and I wish everyone was. The opposite is a
narrow-minded, judgemental, selfish, greedy. Is that how God and Jesus wanted us to be?
Blazco, if only it were about what you say it’s about. Instead it’s, about express opposition to the goal of color blindness, claims that we are either oppressed or oppressor based on skin color, supposed systemic racism, the crank 1619 version of US history and the assertion that quarreling with any of that only proves one’s racism. Being narrow-minded and judgmental is precisely what this new policy demands.
I think God and Jesus encourage us to think for ourselves. To me wokeness is about brainwashing and conformity. It just moves discrimination on to a different group, solving nothing. I’d rather be awake than woke. Even the term ” woke” implies someone forcing you to do something.
I think God and Jesus encourage us to think for ourselves. God and Jesus did not encourage people to think for themselves. God gave man a set of values that served civilization well for thousands of years and allowed for prosperity and health for the good of mankind. The woke isn’t really progressive, it’s regressive. It’s Sodom and Gomorrah, cities filled with evil people who committed atrocious immoral acts against the will of God. Wokeness, and acceptance and tolerance of deviant behavior that causes societal harm, disease and mental illness, is really just a reversion to bronze age values. Christian… Read more »
And I”m not even a religious guy and I recognize that woke is really regression, not progression.
Is that how God and Jesus wanted us to be?
NEVER, NEVER let the communist use your own values against you. That’s what they do. They are trained to do so.
Don’t let the communist define the terms of the argument by twisting your own values to use against you.
The opposite is a narrow-minded, judgemental, selfish, greedy. Is that how God and Jesus wanted us to be?
The answer is YES, god wanted his chosen to people to follow his values and only his values. He smited all those that did not follow his pronouncements.
Think Sodom and Gomorrah – God destroyed these cities because they were filled with evil people like yourself. God encourages man to judge woke people like you as evil swine.
Might infringe a but on First Amendment, but they are employees. If Supremes allow Catholic, or other religious institutions to discriminate against a whole bunch of employees based on beliefs, and LBGTQA status; how is this different? Calm down! There’s no harm here. Try to be a tiny, tiny bit open to others not identical to yourself. You are deeply in the Right-Wing echo chamber!
Religious institutions are not the same as state-funded institutions such as public universities, so that is a major difference.
Try to understand that our objections have nothing to do with “fear of other”.
Might infringe a bit on the 1st amendment…You don’t see the problem with that statement? Would it be a problem if it were required for all faculty to say the pledge of allegiance? Also…the slippery slope that is caused when people say it’s ok if it goes against the constitution “a little bit”….leads to far more damage to our society than people understand. I recommend you start doing your own research and stop listening to main stream news. Its important to have your own voice and opinion heard and not just a regurgitation of what they want people to believe.
I updated this column as noted on it to try to encourage interested readers to look at the actual policy document to understand how strong it is, and to see that it leaves little if any room for exceptions. https://uofi.app.box.com/s/szuinh63unymcuk8qk2qibul53mo58i4
I’m not a fan of DEI. I think it throws around a lot of “woke” vocabulary and ends up excluding/cancelling people who disagree. That said, what do you guys think examples of professor contributions could look like? I think it’s important that professors in more esoteric research fields reach out to underserved communities, or any community outside their small sphere, like particle physics and Chinese history. An easy thing to say is they have mentored minorities in research groups or thesis projects (and not excluding white males either). Also outreach to the community more broadly, though whatever community service. Like… Read more »
Jared, I would ask you to consider the implications of your suggestion that it is appropriate for UI to send a message of “don’t do nothing”.
UI and their professors have an employer/employee relationship. Would you approve of all employers requiring employees to prove their service in activist programs, and only those programs sanctioned by the employer?
While I understand the desire to motivate people to help others, this is not the best way to do that. Like many progressive ideas, it sounds good but leads to dangerous places.
Hi, thank you for your comment. I agree about the “activist program” part. My comment is more thinking about “service.” This is often a requirement of tenure as I understand it (I don’t plan on becoming a tenure prof anyways). I haven’t fully investigated the UI policy, but to provide a statement about what you’re doing as a prof to reduce racial disparities, where they exist and where it’s feasible in your capacity, sounds reasonable. That said, I think these DEI statement should not involve more political actions (ie, crazy liberal stuff). And not push affirmative action policy as well… Read more »
“Service” has always been considered an attribute in hiring- Kiwanis, Rotary, etc. But I can’t agree with your interpretation that DEI is equivalent to “service”. And in any event, service was a plus, not a requirement. No one was required to submit a statement of service as a condition of employment.
You note a predisposition to being against it, while I would note a predisposition to interpret the requirement as if it were simply benign. DEI statements are more like McCarthyism than Kiwanis.
According to the article above, the statement is required for tenure or promotion. That means to me that it’s not required to stay in your current position (or if you are not a professor). The tenure review process requires above and beyond work, publishing high impact papers, great teaching record, winning grants, and a record of service. To me it genuinely sounds like just an extra page to add to your tenure dossier, just an additional hoop to jump through. When you’re up for tenure, if someone doesn’t like you in the department, you can get turned down. So for… Read more »
Another opinion piece masquerading as a news article. And another statement of opinion that is contrary to the information it provides. Based on this diary entry, the policy says that departments, “where appropriate,” must consider a professor’s DEI initiatives/activities The author ignores that. After typing out a sentence saying that, he writes that the policy is absolute and universal, without exception. “Sorry, all faculty are expected to make efforts toward expanding DEI.” Mark Glennon owes an apology, alright. An apology for lying, inconsistent writing, gaslighting and insulting the collective intelligence in an obvious attempt to prevent diverse educational opportunities to… Read more »
Joseph, you have to be kidding. First of all, commentary is what we do. This piece is in our column labeled as such. It is not opinion masquerading as news. Far more importantly, you are entirely ignoring what the new policy says, repeatedly, when you focus on that single “were appropriate” comment. The policy itself (which is linked in the article) says things like this, and they are unqualified with any exceptions: “faculty members should plan their DEI activities as early in their careers as possible…it is important when making promotion and tenure decisions to understand how faculty have contributed to the DEI mission…Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)… Read more »
I agree that the woke language is the worst!
Quit whining, snowflake.
Im a staff member and there are so many things that i will not conform to. I have made that clear in writing and stand steadfast in my decisions.
thank you scott,one staff member whose not a coward
Clearly those positions where diversity isn’t as likely in the environment won’t have as much to say. But what’s the issue in striving for diverse backgrounds and mindsets in general? The predisposition for some courses to be favored by certain groups more than others doesn’t mean that some sort of diversity outreach couldn’t take place. It’s convenient that the author skipped over the “where appropriate” part of the statement when it wouldn’t help their agenda. Go report on something worthwhile.
Ben, this is just striving for diverse backgrounds and mindsets? The entire point of the policy is to chase certain mindsets out of the university. And I did not skip over the “where appropriate” language. It’s quoted. If you don’t see know how little that means in practice, you are being willfully blind.
Ben gives the typical bad faith liberal response. They deny what is actually happening (driving conservatives out of academia) and then insult the author’s credibility for suggesting it is so. I generally dislike overgeneralizations like “all libs make this argument” but they do, likely because it’s the simpliest counter-argument to make, like a children who gets caught with her hand in the cookie jar, immediately denies it despite cookie crumbles on their fingertips.
Your interpretation seems almost paranoid.
Is conservatism not inclusive?
Does diversity not include liberal/moderate/conservative views?
“Willfully blind” seems to indicate opposing interpretations of this requirement are not welcome.
Does diversity not include liberal/moderate/conservative views?
You’re a funny guy. What world do you live in where diversity includes conservative views? Conservative views considered are ‘hate speech’ and are disqualifying. There’s surveys that nearly all left-leaning acadamics (which is most of academia) said they wouldn’t sit at the same LUNCH TABLE of a fellow professor if they knew he was a Trump supporter. And yet you sit here and tell me that DIE statements have nothing to do with purging the few remaining Trump supporting conservatives in academia…
Does diversity not include liberal/moderate/conservative views?
Right, colleges not allowing conservative speakers or allowing them to get shouted down. Do me a favor and list all the times liberal speakers were prevented from speaking or were shouted down. You may say you include conservative views but when you don’t allow them to be heard then that’s not really diversity is it.
Mick- Your claim that diversity, as universities use that term, includes moderates and liberals is astonishing. Moderates and conservatives get shouted down and cancelled day in and day out in universities across America. That does not happen to the left, no matter how radical or absurd they may be. It’s truly astonishing to me that you could have written that.
You sound like a Trumplestiltskin
M.H., so common your level of thought is. Just say Trump.
A good reform would limit student enrollment to Illinois residents. The tax payers want to help the economy of this state , not foreign countries.
The international students (11% of undergraduates and 23% of total student body) helps to keep in-state tuition lower than it would be without those students.
This also keeps faculty employed at competitive compensation levels, which allows Illinois to have a highly respected public university.
lol-“highly respected”?-doubtful-oh,thats right,theyre respected by leftists,my bad
Spoken like a true communist. Slots otherwise allotted to native Illinois residents are awarded to the highest bidder: mainland Chinese students.
It’s for our own good, they tell us.
Meanwhile, the rest of the public Illinois college system is rotting.
What are DEI staff? Staff are humans and come in all colors and mindsets. This article is clearly opinion, but not marked as such. “Woke” seems grammatically incorrect. There are two legitimate words available:”awakened”, referring to the state of not being asleep, and “awoke”, as a verb such as in the sentence, “He awoke with a headache.” I find twitterspeak offensive. We are not eighth graders. My son attended U of I in Champaign and received an excellent education. This article is one guy’s opinion , shared by many readers apparently, who would prefer the university not set any goals… Read more »
I don’t think you grasp the kinds of people who are the most frequent commenters here. I’ll make it short. You will find very firm, conservative mindsets here—people who “know” how things should be run politically and are full of rage for various political players both in IL and nationally. So, such people vomit the worst vile to spew at others with a different point of view. You were very polite here, but to the extent that you are here repeatedly I think you’d be shocked and offended. Go forth and do what you will, of course. But, you’ve been… Read more »
You’re being kind with this assessment of the audience of commentators. These folks appear to feed off negativity and fear of diversity and inclusion and talk like those are bad things. This is a world class university that has contributed great ideals and inventions to the world including the LED light, the MRI, the first internet browser and even whipped cream to name a few. The university embraces welcoming and nurturing people from all backgrounds, ethnicities and ideogies, including those with conservative ideologies. That makes it stronger, better and looking at the world from all angles.
yep,cuz according to joe biden,the biggest threat to this country are white supremists,hell,ive had to chase those darned white supremists off my lawn more than once
The university embraces welcoming and nurturing people from all backgrounds, ethnicities and ideogies, including those with conservative ideologies. Hahahahahahaha hahahahahhhhhahah That’s the funniest thing I’ve read on the internet all day. https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/10/math-racist-university-illinois-professor/ “A math-education professor at the University of Illinois wrote about some of the more racist aspects of math in a new anthology for teachers, arguing that “mathematics itself operates as Whiteness.” “Who gets credit for doing and developing mathematics, who is capable in mathematics, and who is seen as part of the mathematical community is generally viewed as White,” Rochelle Gutierrez wrote, according to an article in Campus… Read more »
James, it’s conservatives who claim to be all-knowing and spit rage at other viewpoints? Really? Yes, some conservatives do, but that has been the hallmark of the modern left — hateful intolerance that labels any dissenters as racist, fascist and unworthy of any attention, which is precisely the point of U of I’s new policy.
I’m more a centrist than an extremist, so I can appreciate your point of view. My remark applies to the extremists. I’m an Illini grad from long ago, but I have no axe to grind on the topic of the moment here and agree with your comments in the general sense at least.
in the words of steve martin-Well Excuuse Meeeee!
btw,you sound kinda “woke”
This article is one guy’s opinion , shared by many readers apparently, who would prefer the university not set any goals to protect students and staff from discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment. Why do you all seem to prefer teachers who are rude and hurtful to students?
___________________________________________________________________
STRAWMAN argument: A strawman is a fallacious argument that distorts an opposing stance in order to make it easier to attack. Essentially, the person using the strawman pretends to attack their opponent’s stance, while in reality they are actually attacking a distorted version of that stance, which their opponent doesn’t necessarily support.
Staff are all human and come in all colors, but you have not been paying much attention if you think they come in all mindsets. That is the goal here- to eliminate any staff with a mindset that doesn’t conform to the approved ideology.
We do not condone rude or disrespectful behavior. But most of the rude and disrespectful behavior is coming from the side that somehow considers itself “tolerant”.
And thanks for the grammar lesson, but we are simply using the word “woke” as it has been used by the left, starting several years ago.
Cynthia, the article says U of I is an “otherwise exceptional university,” so please don’t tell us your story about how your son’s experience confirmed that. That’s not what this is about. And please don’t tell us this is about stopping bullying, discrimination, harassment etc. The new policy goes far, far beyond that, directly undermining academic freedom, which is supposed to be the hallmark of all universities. At U of I and most universities, diversity of opinion is dead. That must be fixed. The cornerstone of democracy is free speech and free thought, and in America, restrictions on those things… Read more »
Hi Cynthia, seems you struck a nerve with some people here. But like several people said, the author refers to “woke” ideology, not harassment stuff. Even though it isn’t grammatically correct, it’s entered the modern lexicon, and refers to a specific concept, and therefore must be used and must be considered correct. (And I agree, twitter is terrible) The conservative argument is that woke-ism pushes out conservatives and anyone who disagrees with the woke paradigm. Also that it unfairly pushes race based decisions and that the “anti-racism” becomes itself racist. Think of the white guilt/white fragility works put out recently… Read more »
Cynthia attacked Mark. She made a bad faith rebuttal/attack. She lied about the core of Mark’s argument and screeched like a harpie: “….who would prefer the university not set any goals to protect students and staff from discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment. Why do you all seem to prefer teachers who are rude and hurtful to students?” This is a blatent misrepresentation both the purpose of DIE statements in theory, and reality, and she distorts what Mark says. There is no engaging with people like this. They only want to attack. They only way to handle people like this is… Read more »
“There is no engaging with people like this. They only want to attack. They only way to handle people like this is to attack right back.” This comes from you? You do that all the time here! Look in the mirror and try saying that with a straight face.
I respectfully respond to good faith arguments but I counterattack bad faith actors.
Okay. Apparently that’s your take on it. Everyone won’t necesssarily see the arguments here the same way, of course. Agitated “discussions” are always part of life un a democracy, so we can at least be thankful that we are not automatically jailed or murdered when political disagreements arise. Those who live in autocracies would consider that a luxury.
Hi thanks for the comment. “Screeched like a harpie” is pretty charged language. I agree that her argument was incorrect, but the fact that she criticized “woke” as grammatically incorrect makes me thing she really has no idea what she’s talking about. “There’s no engaging with people like this.” I thinks that’s a really pessimistic way of thinking of people. If that’s the case, then do you expect debate to be effective at all? If we can’t engage with people who disagree with us, then what does it lead to? I fear that it becomes ideological warfare.
If we can’t engage with people who disagree with us, then what does it lead to? This presupposes that the people who disagree with you are doing so in good faith. Often, the other people just wants to scream over you and impose their will i.e. school boards that doubledown on progressive groomer policies despite entire communities pleading with them to change their minds. These people are not even listening, they already have their minds made up. It is very easy to distinguish who is good faith is debating or trying to change your mind because their responses are logical… Read more »
After reading her comment again, it’s clear to me she has no idea what she’s talking about. She also says she’s an elderly white woman, so she’s not in any position of power. I don’t think she’s acting in bad faith. And I try not to act in bad faith either.
“The solution is to impose your will.”
Yikes.
I will comment no more.
She said we don’t want any rules to stop discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment. The implication is that we are racist and misogynist bullies.
Its like when the liberals calls conservatives white supremacist nazis. The argument itself is a slur.
“The solution is to impose your will.”
How else do you convince someone who calls you a slur?
Jared, my bluntness there was deliberate. Part of what we object to in the woke movement is excessive use of the charge that certain speech is “offensive,” which is what she did. That excess itself has been used successfully to stifle free speech and debate. It’s why we have the whole “safe space” nonsense and why robust exchange of opinion does not happen in many forums. So, when I see it, I respond bluntly. I apply the same standard that I do for myself, which is to say that I couldn’t care less if somebody says something offensive to me,… Read more »
That’s fair. Thank you for the comment to me, I do appreciate it. I still think there is propaganda on both sides, and has caused echo chambers, etc, creating a gulf between opposite sides. I read about a year ago “The Catalyst” by Jonah Berger. One of his arguments is that if you can move someone even a little then you’ve done pretty well. I think how we reach out to people (even if they have wacky opinions about a topic) matters, otherwise we have no hope for a productive discussion. Again, thank you for the thoughtful reply to me!
She accused people like you, and many people posting here, of not wanting to protect “staff from discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment”. According to Cynthia, those who are are against DIE, are in favor of discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment.
Bulldoze UI at UC down, and plant it in pine trees.
I gave this a down vote too because pine trees are susceptible to beetles and die. I’d rather see large walnut and oak trees grow for hundreds of years, and environmentalists will not allow them to be cut down to rebuild the university.
The DEI requirement for faculty should be renamed the Trofim Denisovich Lysenko statement for faculty.
If I were a conservative faculty member (they do exist) I would simply write my full page requirement on how I have furthered Diversity of Thought. Emphasize that you were able to get narrow, single-minded students to think outside of the usual Leftist dogma, and to Include people with varying opinions. Show how the bigotry of low expectations ultimately dooms minority students, and that your introduction of Objective thought furthers and expands everyone’s horizons. I would write that I have done my best to further the equity of conservative opinions on campus, as there is almost no fair chance given… Read more »
Spot on, Illinois Entrepreneur. That’s what’s needed.
You can’t win, Illinois Entrepreneur:
https://www.theroot.com/diversity-of-thought-is-just-a-euphemism-for-white-supr-1825191839
‘Diversity of Thought’ Is Just a Euphemism for ‘White Supremacy’
As people discover right-wing extremists teaching in schools, working at businesses and serving in various levels of government, the phrase “diversity of thought” has become the new slogan for white people who are upset because their undercover “alt-right” leanings are being eschewed by people who use their heads for something more than racks for “MAGA” hats.
I love this idea! It emphasizes that there is a place of respect for conservatism in academia. However I can understand why a real life professor would be hesitant to adopt it. Also, after practicing law for 25 years i am not as optomistc as you are about the end result of the lawsuit. That is exactly why the adoption of the policy is such a bad idea for my beloved alma mater.
Sharon, grateful if you could elaborate about your reasons for being pessimistic about a lawsuit. I will probably do a follow-up on that.
University of Illinois is a joke. It’s been Woke for years. The professors are way overpaid. It’s one of the biggest Pension Grabbers in Illinois. Students don’t learn anything about real life. The tuition is too high for the garbage they disseminate. In 2018 Lovie Smith, employee of the University of Illinois, made $5000000 making him the highest paid employee in Illinois that year. He wasn’t worth it. U of I is the saddest excuse for a public university.
You’re so right! What a “sad excuse” for a public university. They only have only 25 Nobel Prize winners and have changed the world with science, agriculture and technology innovations. And By the way, all athletic coaches salaries are paid for by the Athletic Association, that is a separate fundraising organization separate from the school or tuition paid by students. I do agree that those salaries, regardless of how they are paid for, are obscene.
what?!-you mean my doctorate in theory of afghanistan poetry that i obtained at u of i wont help me in the real world?-ah crap,those professors lied
I agree – they need to be sued. Unfortunately the courts in Illinois, including the Illinois Supreme Court, are so liberal that a lawsuit probably wouldn’t prevail. What needs to happen is for people to stop sending their children to these institutions of indoctrination. It’s no longer about education. Hit them in their pocketbooks. Send the young people to train in the trades. Employers should start setting up internships to train people that need technical expertise – financial skills, engineering, etc. – or find conservative schools that don’t require this nonsense, although that may be hard or next to impossible.… Read more »
Decades ago, my late mother who taught high school Latin, and occasionally classical Greek, in Illinois received an evaluation that read ” more activity was observed in the typing class than in Latin.” Activity, like DIE [diversity, inclusion, equity] is in the eye of the evaluator.
There is nothing new under the sun. Forced DIE statement, which are public due to FOIA requests, are modern day struggle sessions like the Maoists did in the cultural revolution.
The “right” makes you sign loyalty pledges to Israel. The “left” has gone hog wild with identity politics, and in fact, has moved to immasculate white men. Both want to cancel or censor speech they don’t like. Due to the “existential threat” of the opposition, both “sides” engage in intellectual dishonesty, tacitly condone moral, ethical, and criminal activity of their “leaders”. We have a dishonest media, dishonest politicians, and an apathetic, largely nonparticipating electorate. That’s how you get leaders who look out for themselves and their donors first and grift the system for personal gain. The left is more destructive… Read more »
The left is more destructive for the continuance of the Republic, the right is more destructive for the plight of workers and the poor.
The 1980’s wants its talking point back!
The rest of the post is spot on. But you have to pick a side. There’s no neutrality in this war.
There is no war except in your delusional mind. We are all Americans. Stop trying to destroy us with these lies. Our town gets along fine. There is no war. The media creates anger and hatred among us. Were not we all raised with the Golden Rule? Taught to not hurt people with our words? What has happened to make us hate our fellow Americans?
Dream on. That’s not the aura here.
The destruction of the Republic is also the destruction of the working class and poor.
I would love to understand who on the “Right” is more destructive for the plight of workers and the poor. What policies are those? Examples.
And I don’t want to hear things from 30 years ago. I’m talking about right now.
Rob, it’s this part that I strongly disagree with: “the right is more destructive for the plight of workers and the poor.” I think the left has been a catastrophe for them. I intend to write much more about that.
Next best think to an inquisition. Just add an oath and start to gather the sticks.
It’s not just compelled speech. The underlying worldview is religious, specifically monism. It’s time we address this in theological terms – pagan worldview cannot be forced on people anymore than Christian worldview can.
Being respectful to all people is not pagan. Jesus taught us to love everyone. Everyone. How can you defend allowing teachers to be bullies or disrespectful to any student for any reason? This policy is to protect everyone.
By the time somebody has been around enough for tenure and promotion, the provost’s office and colleagues should know what a person has to offer.
In case anybody reads these statements, and in the interest of getting the promotion, writers should avoid anything that can be viewed as nationalist or critical of big government.
The requirement looks like it excludes faculty members who aren’t seeking tenure or some other promotion.
It is extremely discouraging to see this institution of higher learning turn itself into a clown town. But with the woke leadership of the state plugging in their favorites to run UIUC, it seems that is where they want to head. Similar to what is happening in the state and city of Chicago, people will just slowly leave if this is not addressed quickly. All should shut their wallets to any requests for support from UIUC and all their colleges (Gies) until this nonsense is reversed.
Ireland just threw a guy in jail for a Facebook post that wasn’t friendly to a figure the government liked. Would they have thrown him in jail if the comment were about Trump or some other Irish conservative? You know that’s where all this is headed, believe what WE say to believe, don’t criticize it, or there will be dire consequences. Must the professors just pander to DEI, or must they also prove a religious belief in DEI as well? If its the latter then all they need to do is lie and tell them what they want to hear,… Read more »