Another “quick takes” on items where there is too little to say to make a complete article, but is still important enough to comment on.
The focus this time: Fighting wokeness in academia; wokeness fighting back against the military.
First, a little mood music:
Carrying on…
Turns out that maybe paying for useless bureaucrats who spread division, exclusion, and inequality isn’t the best use of funds…
“The Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday slashed funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in next year’s budget, diverting the money to public safety and policing instead.
“The measure, which the board unanimously approved, redirects $2.3 million of diversity funding to campus security, possibly precipitating the collapse of the office of diversity and inclusion. The vote, reported by the local Fox8 station, comes amid disruptive anti-Israel protests that have roiled UNC and other college campuses in recent weeks. The board passed the measure after it first cleared the budget committee.
“Budget committee vice-chair Marty Kotis said law enforcement needs more investment to counteract the demonstrations disrupting the functioning and stability of the school.”
Iowa is joining in banning funds for overt DEI programs.
“Iowa governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, signed into law an education-funding bill with anti-DEI provisions.
“The state’s Board of Regents, which oversees the Universities of Iowa and Northern Iowa as well as Iowa State University, had already adopted a broad diversity, equity and inclusion ban in November.
“But the regents’ action didn’t go far enough for Republicans in the Iowa General Assembly.
“On April 9, they introduced Senate File 2435 as an education-funding bill. Then they added their own anti-DEI restrictions, sailed the bill through both chambers and passed it along to Governor Reynolds the day before the end of this year’s legislative session.
“The legislation bans public institutions from having DEI offices and from hiring or assigning anyone ‘to perform duties’ of a DEI office.”
The armed forces, though, aren’t as lucky…
“A new Arizona State University study suggests that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in the United States military are ineffective.
“The study done by the university’s Center for American Institutions argued that there is a emphasis on training new soldiers about social issues like ‘unconscious bias’ and ‘intersectionality’ in a way the center says runs contrary to typical American ideals. The study examined DEI plan’s in different sector of the military, including DEI office staffing and education at academies like West Point.
“‘The massive DEI bureaucracy, its training and its pseudo-scientific assessments are at best distractions that absorb valuable time and resources,’ the executive summary states. ‘At worst they communicate the opposite of the military ethos: e.g. that individual demographic differences come before team and mission.’
“Donald Critchlow, director of the center, wrote in the introduction it was focused on looking at the influence of Critical Race Theory in the United States Armed Forces training.
“‘The Commission on Civic Education in the Military began as a project to review civic education in the military. Our research team did not expect to find Critical Race Theory so embedded and pervasive. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs are found throughout the U.S. Armed Forces and our service academies,’ Critchlow wrote. ‘This year long study documents just how pervasive these training programs are in our Armed Forces and Service Academies and that DEI extends well beyond just formal training programs in the military and service academies.’
“‘The Founders of our nation understood and feared a politicized military. History had shown them that a politicized army easily became the tool of tyranny. The Armed Forces of the United States has proudly upheld this long tradition of separating mission from politics,’ he continued.
“In terms of recommendations, the study suggests that DEI offices be completely scrapped, but said it may be politically unlikely for the time being.”
TTFN.
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