“More than a dozen state legislatures have introduced or passed bills reining in DEI programs”
Meeting date August 8, 2023
Public comment by Kendra W.
Photography by Simply American
Ottawa County Board of Commissioners Meeting
I wanted to pop in this morning to thank Gretchen, Lucy, Joe, Rebekah, Sylvia, Roger and Allison for their wisdom, discernment and boldness so early on regarding DEI and its destructive mechanisms. I also want to thank these commissioners for their courage in cutting DEI on day one.
You were the front-runners and, thankfully, the rest of our country is beginning to catch on as well.
More than a dozen state legislatures have introduced or passed bills reining in DEI programs in colleges and universities. Multiple states, including North Carolina and South Carolina, have introduced bills to track college DEI spending.
In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin banned the teaching of these, “inherently divisive concepts” in public schools.
Ohio has also introduced a bill that would abolish DEI training requirements at public colleges.
In North Carolina, state legislators recently requested an overview of documents related to DEI training from all colleges in the University of North Carolina System. They have also introduced bills aimed at DEI mandates in hiring, as well as restricting, the teaching of racism in public schools.
Texas A&M University Chancellor, John Sharp, stated that: “No university or agency in the A&M System will admit any student, nor hire any employee based on any factor other than merit.”
The directive standardizes faculty and staff applications and limits them to a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and teaching philosophy statements and professional references. It also ordered the 11 universities and 8 agencies within the system to make all websites and printed materials dealing with employment and admission practices, compliant with the directive.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s chief of staff, sent a letter to state agencies, including universities, notifying them that using DEI considerations in hiring is illegal and violates state and federal anti-discrimination laws. He also signed Bill SB17 to dismantle DEI offices and programs in higher education.
Senator Brandon Creighton stated that, “eliminating DEI would return their campuses to promoting a merit based approach where individuals are judged on their qualification, skills and contributions.”
He also stated that, “this would return Texas colleges and universities to their core mission, which is to educate and innovate.”
Moving on to Florida. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which oversees Disney World’s operations in the state, announced in a news release on Tuesday, August 1st, that it has abolished all of its DEI programs.
I will end with this wise quote from Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize winning American economist of the 20th century:
“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.”
The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the positions and beliefs of Simply American or its affiliates.
Public Comment
“More than a dozen state legislatures have introduced or passed bills reining in DEI programs”
Meeting date August 8, 2023
Public comment by Kendra W.
Photography by Simply American
Ottawa County Board of Commissioners Meeting
Public Comment
I wanted to pop in this morning to thank Gretchen, Lucy, Joe, Rebekah, Sylvia, Roger and Allison for their wisdom, discernment and boldness so early on regarding DEI and its destructive mechanisms. I also want to thank these commissioners for their courage in cutting DEI on day one.
You were the front-runners and, thankfully, the rest of our country is beginning to catch on as well.
More than a dozen state legislatures have introduced or passed bills reining in DEI programs in colleges and universities. Multiple states, including North Carolina and South Carolina, have introduced bills to track college DEI spending.
In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin banned the teaching of these, “inherently divisive concepts” in public schools.
Ohio has also introduced a bill that would abolish DEI training requirements at public colleges.
In North Carolina, state legislators recently requested an overview of documents related to DEI training from all colleges in the University of North Carolina System. They have also introduced bills aimed at DEI mandates in hiring, as well as restricting, the teaching of racism in public schools.
Texas A&M University Chancellor, John Sharp, stated that: “No university or agency in the A&M System will admit any student, nor hire any employee based on any factor other than merit.”
The directive standardizes faculty and staff applications and limits them to a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and teaching philosophy statements and professional references. It also ordered the 11 universities and 8 agencies within the system to make all websites and printed materials dealing with employment and admission practices, compliant with the directive.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s chief of staff, sent a letter to state agencies, including universities, notifying them that using DEI considerations in hiring is illegal and violates state and federal anti-discrimination laws. He also signed Bill SB17 to dismantle DEI offices and programs in higher education.
Senator Brandon Creighton stated that, “eliminating DEI would return their campuses to promoting a merit based approach where individuals are judged on their qualification, skills and contributions.”
He also stated that, “this would return Texas colleges and universities to their core mission, which is to educate and innovate.”
Moving on to Florida. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which oversees Disney World’s operations in the state, announced in a news release on Tuesday, August 1st, that it has abolished all of its DEI programs.
I will end with this wise quote from Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize winning American economist of the 20th century:
“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both.”
The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the positions and beliefs of Simply American or its affiliates.
Meeting
Ottawa County Board of Commissioners
Regular Sessions Meeting
August 8, 2023
Location
Ottawa County Administration Building
12220 Fillmore Street
West Olive, MI 49460
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