Rep. Dan Crenshaw is targeting colleges and universities that mandate students to sign up to so-called “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) statements.
The Texas Republican announced a bill on Monday that would cut funding for institutions of higher education that make students commit to the vigilance oath — which pledges to uplift racial, ethnic and gender minorities, along with other historically underrepresented groups, by sacrificing what is said to be “privileged.”
“We can see the moral bankruptcy of higher education with the spread of antisemitism on college campuses,” Crenshaw said in a statement.
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people — including 33 Americans — some of the US’s most elite campuses have become hotbeds of Jew hatred.
“Make no mistake,” Crenshaw continued. “The DEI bureaucracy is directly responsible for a toxic campus culture that separates everyone into oppressors versus oppressed.
And Crenshaw is working to reduce the DEI mandate on campuses across the country. Getty Images
“I am striking down laws to protect free thought and prevent federal funding for universities that force students to write diversity, equity and inclusion statements.”
Republicans have long criticized the DEI initiative, and red states across the country, including Texas, have enacted policies to block it.
The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prevent taxpayer dollars from going to institutions that have DEI requirements, as well as prevent institutions from using such statements as a condition of employment or enrollment.
University and college policies have come under the spotlight recently following a number of antisemitic demonstrations on campus. Vasyl – stock.adobe.com
Colleges and universities would also be barred from forcing students to disclose their “race, color, ethnicity, or national origin, except to the minimum extent necessary [to] record any necessary demographic information.”
The bill emphasizes that nothing in it should be “interpreted” as preventing students from preparing such materials of their own accord or prohibiting “pedagogical or experiential approaches to students with learning disabilities.”
Crenshaw’s legislation is modeled after a recent Texas law barring DEI programs from the state’s public universities.
The House is currently in recess for the holidays and will return on Jan 9.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
