While it was but a warning before, the defunding of research at the University of Nebraska is now at our doorstep. The University of Nebraska President Dr. Jeffrey Gold warned a few weeks ago that the new guidelines from the Trump Administration on National Institutes of Health research grants could result in a $30 million budget loss in the state, as well as the University.
As of Feb. 20, Gold sent out a message regarding a “Dear Colleague” letter that was sent to him. For anyone who doesn’t know, a “Dear Colleague” letter is an official memo sent by a member, committee or officer of the United States House of Representatives.
Hailing from the Office of Civil Rights wing of the Department of Education, the letter states, “In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students, many of whom came from disadvantaged backgrounds and low-income families.”
While this may be true, there is no discrimination occurring in this institution. I for one, am a white, cisgender straight man from a lower middle-class family, and yet I was accepted into this institution just fine. Many of my peers, in fact, are white and middle-class individuals.
As per a previous column, the point of diversity and inclusion is not to exclude and homogenize. It is meant to expand and include individuals from all over.
The letter continues, “DEI programs…frequently preference certain racial groups and teach students that certain racial groups bear unique moral burdens that others do not.”
It cannot be stressed enough that there is still a wide racial divide in America, and it isn’t because black kids are being accepted into universities. It is the result of hundreds of years of oppression and discrimination. The “equality” that we see now has only been experienced for the last 60 years, as opposed to the 300 years of the existence of America.
The bigger thing at stake here isn’t even diversity and inclusion–it is our funding. We are at risk of losing a lot of funding.
Gold’s response has been a bit disappointing, but not surprising. In his letter to the University, he stated, “In response to this letter, our university has initiated an immediate, chancellor-led comprehensive review of potentially relevant activities on each campus.”
While we have the chance to decide what to keep and what to throw out, it is important to note that we have not picked a new chancellor yet, and won’t have one picked for a while.
There is a lot of uncertainty ahead. As a University, we should be embracing our diversity, not trying to hide it.
