Latest news with #Dei
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WATCH: Unearthed footage exposes medical school administrators pledging to resist Trump executive orders
FIRST ON FOX: Leaked video obtained by Fox News Digital shows school administrators at an Illinois school of medicine rejecting multiple Trump executive orders, including on combatting DEI, and outlining how the school plans to fight back against them. Trump's executive order on gender ideology "is an attack on women" and on "basic human rights," according to Dr. Jerry Kruse, Dean, Provost, and CEO of Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine. Kruse recently gave a speech in a small group discussion about Trump's executive orders and actions that was obtained by the medical and policy advocacy group Do No Harm. "We will resist obeying in advance. We won't do any anticipatory obedience," Kruse said. "The existing laws have not changed, no court directives will require any change in compliance at this time." Kruse added that "these executive orders and actions and the general philosophy that they espouse constitute direct attacks on all that is important to us" while mentioning science, higher education and healthcare. 'Woke' Hospital Could Be In Crosshairs Of Trump Admin After Scathing Complaint Alleges Dei Discrimination "More importantly, these orders and actions constitute a direct attack on the people we serve, the people to whom we are accountable," he said. Read On The Fox News App Kruse explained that the school of medicine is "very fortunate" to be part of a university system that is "on top of it" in terms of pushing back on Trump's executive orders. Kruse also claimed that the executive orders on immigration and DEI from the Trump administration are "an attack on human rights and on justice and fairness" that "have engendered fear among large segments of the population of law-abiding people." At one point in his speech, Kruse said he would provide employees with the "resources" to "fight back." The SIU school system has been active in promoting DEI in recent years, and it was a topic discussed in the presentation. Trump's Crackdown On Harvard, 'Woke' Colleges Will Take More Than 100 Days To Leave Lasting Reform: Professor "The work that we are doing around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a life or death issue for some people," Dr. Wendi El-Amin, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said during the presentation. The school's website hosts a page featuring its work on DEI that says it works to "ensure that our students, residents, faculty, and staff reflect the demographics of central and southern Illinois while also equipping them with the knowledge and skills to address health disparities through culturally responsive care, patient access, education, and health literacy initiatives." In February of this year, the SIU Board of Trustees reaffirmed its commitment to DEI and the school's VP of anti-racism and DEI, Sheila Caldwell, claimed that DEI is "lifesaving" and has had measurable improvements for minority students in retention rates. SIUSOM receives millions in active grant funding from NIH and HHS and Dr. Donald Torry, Associate Dean for Research, said during the presentation that none of the grant funding has been affected so far. In terms of immigration executive orders, Dr. Vidhya Prakash, Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Population Health and Chief Medical Officer, said during the presentation that a school dean recently sent an email to faculty members instructing them not to comply with ICE and that they should call security if a situation arises. "So please understand that no member of our school of medicine whether it's an employee or its a trainee, should have to engage in conversation or discourse with ICE," she said, adding that the school has patients who are "afraid" and live in fear of being apprehended. "Continue doing what you have been doing," Paulette Dove, Senior Counsel for Health Affairs for the SIU system, said during the presentation, adding that the "law has not changed." "These issues demand a strong institutional and collective response," Kruse said. "Thankfully, the SIU system stands firm with a strong voice. SIU president Dan Mahoney has stated that we will hold our ground and that 'the executive actions are antithetical to the values of our institution, the SIU system.'" Lauren Crocks, the university's director of marketing, communications, and engagement, told Fox News Digital that "Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is committed to following the law." "By putting itself directly at odds with President Trump, the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is begging to be investigated by the federal government," Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, Chairman at Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "In this unearthed video, the School of Medicine's Dean, Senior Counsel, and other officials openly and repeatedly flaunt their contempt for the Administration's orders to promote meritocracy and protect children from sex-change procedures. "While defying executive orders and obsessing over DEI and gender ideology, SIUSOM somehow continues to receive millions of taxpayer dollars from the National Institutes of Health. The school's officials made their playbook clear: ignore executive orders until forced to obey; this strategy must be exposed and nipped in the bud. SIUSOM must stop prioritizing identity politics over patients." White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller touted Trump's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs on Thursday. Miller appeared alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a Thursday morning briefing, declaring that the administration is bringing a "system of merit" back to the U.S. "This administration is not going to let our society devolve into communist, woke, DEI strangulation," Miller said. "We are going to have a system of merit." "It's not just a social and cultural issue, it's an economic issue. When you hire, retain and recruit based on merit, as President Trump has directed, you advance innovation, you advance growth, you advance investment, you advance job creation," he added. Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this article source: WATCH: Unearthed footage exposes medical school administrators pledging to resist Trump executive orders
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House vows to implement 'system of merit' in US, dismantle DEI 'strangulation'
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller touted President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs on Thursday. Miller appeared alongside White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a Thursday morning briefing, declaring that the administration is bringing a "system of merit" back to the U.S. "This administration is not going to let our society devolve into communist, woke, DEI strangulation," Miller said. "We are going to have a system of merit." "It's not just a social and cultural issue, it's an economic issue. When you hire, retain and recruit based on merit as President Trump has directed, you advance innovation, you advance growth, you advance investment, you advance job creation," he continued. Defunding Dei: Here's How The Trump Administration Has Undone Biden's Very Prized Programs "When a citizen goes to, say, a hospital in a medical emergency, they don't care what race or sex their doctor or their nurse is. They want the best treatment they can get in that emergency," he added. Read On The Fox News App White House Opm Orders All Dei Offices To Begin Closing By End Of Day Wednesday Trump's administration has taken big steps to cut DEI programs throughout the federal government, from the Pentagon to the Department of Education. Trump shut down all DEI offices across the federal government during his first week in office and signed a number of executive orders to quickly undo former President Joe Biden's efforts on the issue. The administration is also leveraging federal funding in an effort to force the nation's top universities to eliminate DEI programs as well. In February, the Department of Education also warned state education departments that they must remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding. The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership, as well as its hiring and admissions practices by August 2025. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid admitting students who are "hostile" to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism. Harvard has so far refused to comply. Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this article source: White House vows to implement 'system of merit' in US, dismantle DEI 'strangulation'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's crackdown on Harvard, 'woke' colleges will take more than 100 days to leave lasting reform: professor
The first 100 days of the Trump administration have made higher education institutions a central front in its broader battle against "woke" policies and discriminatory practices linked to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. As both federal funding and immigration enforcement tools are being wielded, universities are feeling unprecedented pressure to reform or face serious consequences. "The Trump administration is going after the sources of funding that enable the DEI industrial complex," Cornell University Professor William Jacobson told Fox News Digital. President Donald Trump shut down all DEI offices across the federal government during his first week in office and signed a number of executive orders to quickly undo former President Joe Biden's efforts. Defunding Dei: Here's How The Trump Administration Has Undone Biden's Very Prized Programs One of the administration's key strategies involves using federal funding as leverage. Institutions like Harvard University have already seen billions of dollars in grants put on notice. Read On The Fox News App Jacobson said that many universities are in "a state of denial," hoping they can "rope-a-dope" their way through the Trump presidency without making substantive changes. Emily Sturge, a University of Florida student and Campus Reform reporter, echoed Jacobson's concerns about cosmetic changes by universities. "We do see universities trying to rebrand, trying to sweep it under the rug," she said. White House Opm Orders All Dei Offices To Begin Closing By End Of Day Wednesday Fox News Digital previously reported that universities like Northeastern University and North Carolina State University have rebranded DEI offices as "Belonging" or "Inclusive Excellence" centers while keeping many of the same initiatives intact. Defending Education, formerly known as Parents Defending Education, found that there are still 383 "currently active" DEI offices and programs, with 243 universities maintaining institution-wide DEI offices or programming. Along with executive orders targeting DEI offices, Trump also rescinded Biden's order on diversity initiatives, "Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government," which he signed on his first day in office in 2021. In February, the Department of Education also warned state education departments that they must remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding. Harvard, which Jacobson notes has systematically purged conservative, pro-capitalist, and pro-Israel voices from its faculty, faces intense scrutiny over alleged discriminatory practices in hiring and admissions. "Higher education, particularly at the so-called elite level, has really dug themselves a hole," he said. Schumer, Schiff Accuse Trump Of Exploiting Antisemitism To Punish Universities Jacobson said that it is "extremely difficult" to get hired in the humanities and social sciences if you have "anything conservative, pro-Israel, or pro-capitalist" on your resume. "Their independence has resulted in a system which has perverted the notion of education. It has turned it into ideological indoctrination," he said. The Trump administration is also cracking down on sanctuary campuses and universities that protect anti-Israel protests. Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil was the administration's first international student arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for leading anti-Israel protests. The legal permanent U.S. resident, originally from Syria, was accused of lying on his visa application and failing to disclose his membership in an anti-Israel organization. A federal judge in Louisiana ruled that Khalil can be deported from the U.S. due to his involvement in leading last year's pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia. Mohsen Mahdawi, another pro-Palestinian Columbia student protester, was detained by federal immigration authorities in Vermont. Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University, was detained by ICE agents in March. Her visa had been revoked due to alleged involvement in pro-Palestinian protests. She is currently awaiting deportation proceedings. Harvard has become a target of Trump's broader crackdown on universities, much of which is in response to last year's anti-Israel unrest that erupted on campuses across the country. On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard University President Alan Garber and Harvard Corporation Lead Member Penny Pritzker outlining the institution's failures and a list of demands from the White House. In the letter, the administration accused Harvard of failing to uphold civil rights laws and to foster an "environment that produces intellectual creativity." The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership, as well as its hiring and admissions practices by August 2025. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid admitting students who are "hostile" to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism. Harvard refused to comply with the demands, with Garber saying that "no government… should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and areas of study and inquiry they can pursue." The university later filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its "unlawful" freezing of funds. Trump fired back, calling the Ivy League institution "a liberal mess." "Harvard is an [antisemitic], far-left institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the world that want to rip our country apart. The place is a liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Harvard is a threat to democracy…" Despite early victories by the administration in its crackdown on campus DEI, Jacobson warned that reforming higher education is a marathon, not a sprint. "This is going to take more than 100 days," he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Harvard for comment. Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf and Brooke Singman contributed to this article source: Trump's crackdown on Harvard, 'woke' colleges will take more than 100 days to leave lasting reform: professor
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elite schools organize group to oppose Trump administration as battle for higher education funding escalates
Following the Trump administration's targeted attacks on elite universities, including Harvard and Columbia, some university leaders and administrators have organized an informal group to oppose the federal government. "The informal group currently includes about 10 schools, including Ivies and leading private research universities, mostly in blue states," The Wall Street Journal revealed in a report published Sunday. "Strategy discussions gained momentum after the administration's recent list of demands for sweeping cultural change at Harvard, viewed by many universities as an assault on independence." The Trump administration has moved to freeze funding for Harvard and focus on other schools where antisemitic behavior and protests made national headlines, especially in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. Schumer, Schiff Accuse Trump Of Exploiting Antisemitism To Punish Universities American Council on Education leader Ted Mitchell spoke out in support of the informal group, which includes about 10 schools, per The Wall Street Journal. "I'm encouraged that they're going on," Mitchell said. "This kind of exchange helps institutions understand the impacts of government actions across campuses and to identify critical non-negotiables that have no place in government regulation." Read On The Fox News App Another person told the Journal that the school leaders believe that they are the "ground zero" of resistance against the Trump administration. Despite Trump's Order, A Surprising Number Of Dei Programs Remain 'Active' At Colleges And Universities The Trump administration has also targeted Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at colleges and universities across the country. However, the conservative nonprofit Defending Education has found that there are still 383 "currently active" DEI offices and programs, with 243 universities maintaining institution-wide DEI offices or programming. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Fox News' Alec Schemmel contributed to this article source: Elite schools organize group to oppose Trump administration as battle for higher education funding escalates
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana Lt Gov slams Democrats' 'DEI, radical revisionist history' on Three-Fifths Compromise
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith criticized state Senate Democrats for equating a GOP legislative proposal intended to root out diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education to the Three-Fifths Compromise. "They were saying this is a bad bill because it actually encourages discrimination, just like the Three-Fifths Compromise going all the way back to the foundations of our nation. I would like to share with you the Three-Fifths Compromise is not a pro-discrimination compromise," Beckwith, a Republican, said in a video shared on X after an emotional floor debate. "It was not a pro-discrimination or a slave-driving compromise that the founders made. It was actually just the opposite." "Don't buy into the DEI radical revisionist history that is happening in today's culture," he said. "Know your history. Go back and study the documents. Read them for yourself like I have. Go look them up and you will find that the Three-Fifths Compromise and many other things like that were designed to make sure that justice was equal for all people and equality really meant equality for all." Indiana Gov Pulls Plug On Dei In 'Exhilarating' Move For State The legislation in question, Senate Bill 289, ultimately passed both chambers of the state legislature last week and heads to Republican Gov. Mike Braun's desk. The bill restricts DEI programs at K–12 schools, charter schools, state agencies, and public universities and allows people to sue such institutions if they compel students, teachers or administrators to adopt that one race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin "is inherently superior or inferior" to another, that a person's moral character is determined by one of those characteristics, or that a person should be blamed for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. The GOP-sponsored bill – titled "unlawful discrimination" – also includes transparency requirements for institutions to post any DEI-related trainings online and repeals provisions concerning university diversity committees, among other reforms. It follows an executive action Braun, a former U.S. senator, issued when he took office as governor in January prioritizing merit over DEI in education and state government. Read On The Fox News App Critics of the bill in the state Senate last week said the proposal leaves out of consideration a legacy of discrimination in the U.S., citing the Three-Fifths Compromise, Jim Crow laws and real estate redlining. As for the Three-Fifths Compromise, Beckwith said it was "a compromise that the North made with the South. At the time, there were basically 13 independent nations." "They had not really created a Constitution. They were sort of a European Union-esque nation, and they were saying to the pro-slave states, 'Hey, if you want to count your slaves to have representation, more representation in Congress, we're not going to let you do that,' because they knew that that would codify things like slavery into our nation and the North stood up to the South," Beckwith said. Pastor Leading Target Dei Boycott Calls Maga, Trump 'Roaches' In Easter Sermon Made during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the Three-Fifths Compromise set forth that slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person when counting a state's population for taxation and congressional representation. While it reduced the influence that slave-holding states initially wanted, it ultimately allowed them more seats in the House of Representatives and more sway in presidential contests in terms of the Electoral College than if free people were only counted. The Three-Fifths Compromise ended after the Civil War with the adoption of the 13th and 14th Amendments, abolishing slavery and establishing equal protection under the Constitution. When the Constitution was being written, Beckwith explained, southern states considered slaves as property but still wanted to count slaves as part of their population in the census to get more members of Congress from the South. The North said if the South wanted it to count its "property," or its slaves, as whole people in the census, the North would in turn count its tables, chairs and all their belongings in their homes as part of their population as well, according to the lieutenant governor. "They came up with a Three-Fifths Compromise. They said you will only get three-fifths of a vote when it comes to your slave. And what that did, it actually limited the number of pro-slave representatives in Congress by 40%. This was a great move by the North to make sure that slavery would be eradicated in our nation," Beckwith said. "They knew what they were doing. But now here you have Senate Democrats in today's American Republic who do not understand that." "They think the Three-Fifths Compromise was something that was a scourge on Black people. That's not what it was. And how did we get to this place? We got to this because of DEI in education. We got here because you have professors at woke schools that will not teach the history of what actually happened back in the foundations of our nation," Beckwith continued. "Many, many men and leaders in our nation's history knew how wicked slavery was. They knew that God had created Black people, White people, red people, all people in his image, and they were fighting for equality for all, but they're not taught that today, and that's why you had the Senate Democrats who were getting up talking about the Three-Fifths Compromise like it was some sort of terrible thing in our past it was not it actually was the exact opposite that helped to root out slavery and lead us into a more perfect union that we now see." Beckwith said the Three-Fifths Compromise was the beginning of the U.S. later evolving to where all people can have equal representation under the law. The anti-DEI state bill passed the state House by a 64-26 vote and the state Senate by a 34-16 vote. It awaits Braun's article source: Indiana Lt Gov slams Democrats' 'DEI, radical revisionist history' on Three-Fifths Compromise
