Harvard Medical School renames DEI office as university fights against Trump admin in court
Harvard Medical School has renamed its Diversity, Inclusion and Community Partnership office to the Office for Culture and Community Engagement, following in the footsteps of what the university has already done, according to a letter from the school's dean.
George Daley, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard, said the new office would focus on 'opportunity and access' and 'collaboration and community-building,' according to his letter.
'I hope it is abundantly clear that while we continue to adapt to the ever-evolving national landscape, Harvard Medical School's longstanding commitment to culture and community will never waver,' Daley said in the letter.
When Harvard renamed its 'Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging' to 'Community and Campus Life,' it drew backlash as it also said it would no longer fund, staff or provide space for affinity graduations.
It came at a time when the university became the first institution to resist the Trump administration when it publicly refused federal demands and filed a lawsuit in response to its threats to withdraw billions of dollars in funding.
However, renaming a DEI office also looked like a concession to the Trump administration at the time.
In higher education, the Trump administration has threatened to revoke accreditation of colleges and universities in part over diversity, equity and inclusion programs that an executive order signed states are 'unlawfully discriminatory practices.'
'It's signaling that if they're willing to capitulate on some demands, then they're likely to capitulate in the future. This kind of sends confused, mixed signals to students,' Eli Johnson, a Harvard junior and LGBTQ student, previously told MassLive.
Read more: 'Willing to capitulate': Cracks emerge in Harvard's resistance to Trump over DEI
As part of the announcement from Daley, the Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs will also now be part of the Office of Student Affairs.
The school is creating a committee to 'review and recommend updates' and to revisit the 'principles and statements that guide our community and our values,' Daley said.
A Harvard spokesperson declined to provide additional comment.
The decision also follows in the footsteps of MIT and Northeastern's decisions to rename their offices.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth announced plans at the end of May to 'sunset' the university's Institute Community and Equity Office and remove its vice president for equity and inclusion position in a letter to the school community. The office's 'core programs' will continue, but under the purview of other offices.
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Read the original article on MassLive.
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