University Of Michigan's $85 Million DEI Efforts Fail To Satisfy Black Students

Since implementing its 10-year DEI strategy in 2016, the university has reportedly spent over $85 million and employs 163 individuals, aiming to cultivate diversity and create an inclusive and equitable campus environment.

The University of Michigan's DEI commitment, as one of the most far-reaching in the country, remains unfulfilled, according to Black students. They argue that the school fails to meet their specific needs and feels burdened with the responsibility of being representatives for their race.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reveals that black student enrollment at the University of Michigan fell to 3.9% during the 2021-2022 academic year. In reaction, the Black Student Union, a prominent student organization on campus, prepared a comprehensive report highlighting the university's deficiencies. The report suggests a recalibration towards addressing anti-blackness and reconfiguring the structural shortcomings of the DEI approach that disproportionately neglects Black students.

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The Black Student Union, in its report, outlined its critique, "DEI at the university, as it currently stands, is structurally flawed. 85 million dollars was spent on DEI efforts and yet, Black students' experience on campus has hardly improved. DEI is not and will never be effective until the needs of the most marginalized students are centered."

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June 24, 2023

The University of Michigan agreed to modify the next phase of its DEI initiative, "DEI 2.0," based on the recommendations in the Black Student Union's report. A survey among the university's students reveals a decreased satisfaction level with the school's DEI initiatives in 2021 compared to 2016, when the DEI program was initiated.

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An internal university analysis indicates that the institution has increased student and faculty diversity since launching its DEI efforts. The school has also added more diversity-oriented curriculums and has seen an increase in enrollment from students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Furthermore, the university has introduced free tuition for low-income students, a $10 million multicultural center, a tutoring program for low-income families, and inclusive practice training for faculty.

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However, one student told the Chronicle of Higher Education that despite the DEI initiatives, the campus feels "oppressively white."

This student shares, "When I feel more grounded, that's when I can go out and interact with others. When I don't feel grounded, I stay in my room and my grades suffer."

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Adding to the critique, it was stated in a letter that white students were "colonizing" the multicultural center, intended as "a Mecca for students of color."

Higher education institutions are implementing similar diversity initiatives in faculty recruitment and student admissions processes elsewhere in the country. For instance, the University of California at Berkeley evaluates job applicants based on their commitment to DEI within the institution. The Indiana University School of Medicine updated its requirements in May 2022 to mandate potential staff seeking tenure to demonstrate efforts towards advancing DEI.

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The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Tabbye M. Chavous Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Michigan, earns an annual salary of $380,000. Currently, the Office of DEI at the University of Michigan has not commented on the matter to the Daily Caller News Foundation.