The UNC System Board of Governors – handpicked by the GOP – votes to repeal DEI policies at 17 system campuses

The UNC System Board of Governors (BOG) voted Thursday to repeal its policy on diversity and inclusion, which could wipe out diversity-related positions at the 17 public colleges and universities overseen by the board.

News conferences with lawmakers, protests and rallies against removing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs were held during the month-long process the board undertook before Thursday’s vote.

The 24-member board was handpicked by Republicans in the General Assembly – a power they only have because they have gerrymandered the state’s legislative maps in their favor. The board’s actions don’t represent the people they are setting policies for.

Only two members of the UNC BOG, Joel Ford and Sonja Phillips Nichols, voted no.

“I just want it to be said that there were some people who felt they weren’t heard. And that I wanted to say I could say I represented the people who said, ‘We didn’t feel heard,'” Nichols said after the meeting, WRAL reported.

Republican attacks on DEI programs have centered around the idea that these initiatives are divisive and unproductive, which is the opposite of the truth. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs exist to help students from diverse backgrounds find success and feel accepted on college campuses.

Students of color, LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, students from rural communities, first-generation college students and women all benefit from DEI programs.

Gov. Roy Cooper called the board’s decision “a political vote.”

“Our diversity should be shown as a strength and has helped us grow as a state. It shouldn’t be used to show our political divisions,” Cooper told WRAL in an interview. “And, unfortunately, I think that’s what this vote is about.”

Thursday’s vote could make the system’s 17 campuses feel less welcoming and less inclusive – and students will know that it was made that way on purpose.