Students protest College of Charleston's anti-DEI measures amid federal and state crackdown By Valerie Nava 22 hrs ago A group of students gathered in the Cistern Yard to push back against what they called preemptive measures taken by College of Charleston administrators to diminish diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and to show support for two pro-Palestinian activists from Columbia University arrested by U.S. immigration authorities.
Holding handmade signs and singing chants, about 30 students stood at the heart of the College of Charleston campus March 24 to demand that its leadership release a statement detailing a clear plan to protect DEI efforts and scholarships for minority students amid a federal crackdown on the initiatives and a state bill prohibiting them.
Students also asked the college to issue a statement calling on federal officials to release Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Kordia, two detained activists who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University prompted by the war in Gaza.
The college didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by publication time.
D'Ajuai Kelley, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at the College of Charleston, said the demonstration was organized in response to decisions by the college's board of trustees to abide by recent federal and state anti-DEI directives.
Students received an email March 3 written by college President Andrew Hsu after the board passed a resolution to ensure compliance with federal DEI guidelines.
Some of the changes included removing references to diversity, equity and inclusion from the college's website and absorbing offices providing these services into other parts of the administration, such as student affairs, admissions and human resources, with the ultimate goal of consolidating these into a larger center to be called Student Hub for Opportunity, Retention and Excellence, according to the email.
Kelley questioned the changes, saying they were unnecessary.
"The state bill hasn't even been passed yet and the college has already decided to rename things," she said, referring to a proposed bill prohibiting state colleges and universities from having offices promoting DEI. It advanced to the House of Representatives on March 20.
The bill states, amongst other things, that no differential treatment can be given to students based on race, gender or other orientations for admissions processes.
Following Hsu's email, the college held two back-to-back town halls March 12 for faculty, staff and students to answer questions and hear concerns about the college's response to federal directives.
Several attendees questioned the board's logic, wondering why the college seemed to be capitulating to what they considered unreasonable demands rather than preparing a legal challenge.
"Most of their responses focused on funding and budgeting, funding and money, instead of students," Kelley said.
Lisa Covert, an associate professor of history and president of the College of Charleston's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said after the meeting that she and other members of the faculty and staff would like to see a more proactive defense of the college's values on diversity, equity and inclusion and more pushback against the assumptions that these efforts are "inherently bad."
"I would just like to see a little bit more public-facing defense of some of the work that we've done on these fronts that are under attack right now," she said.
Other faculty members complained about what they called a lack of clarity from administrators on how they will defend the college's values in the face of a federal and state crackdown on diversity efforts.
"I appreciate what the administration has tried to do, but more needs to be done," John Thomas, a political science professor told The Post and Courier after the meeting. "I'm still uneasy, and the lack of certainty is not going away anytime soon.
The Trump administration has led a campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion through several avenues, including a civil rights investigation for alleged racial discrimination; a crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses; and threats to withhold critical funding from institutions that fail to promptly eliminate offices providing these services.
Legal experts have deemed that these federal mandates likely are infringements on academic freedom and on free expression, protected by the First Amendment, and therefore unconstitutional.
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