Eliminating DEI in higher education in Idaho is a step backwards

The Idaho State Board of Education is currently considering a proposal that would ban diversity equity inclusion (DEI) programs on all college campuses.

But do they also consider the unintended consequences of such actions?

Some background: Idaho state lawmakers have repeatedly expressed their displeasure or distrust of DEI programs. Several lawmakers have called DEI unfair because it reportedly makes white students feel bad about their position in society. So far, lawmakers have yet to define DEI, despite heated debates on the topic. Still, lawmakers passed a higher education budget in 2023 that bans DEI activities, and the State Board of Education could vote in December on a policy that would eliminate DEI activities at the state’s colleges and universities.

As a result, many public schools – including the University of Idaho – would be forced to dismantle their diversity programs. At the UI, that would include the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Women’s Center, the African American Student Center and the LGBTQA Center.

For many people, DEI means promoting fair treatment of all people, but especially those groups that have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against because of their identity or disability. Traditionally, this includes people of different races, cultural backgrounds, religions, physical or intellectual abilities, economic and political backgrounds.

In short, diversity encompasses those things that separate us as humans. Many people view DEI as human rights.

By eliminating programs that can help people better understand other cultures and people, the SBOE and the state Legislature are putting Idaho students at a disadvantage in understanding the world.

As a professor, I often had to explain to students why another culture was different. Not bad, just different. So many students made really shocking/insulting statements towards people of other cultures out of sheer ignorance, often not knowing it was an insult. In the business world it would be a disaster.

As Idaho prepares students to work in this highly interconnected world, students must know how to interact with other cultures and people or they will not be successful in their jobs.