High Point University initially sought to ban roughly 50 words associated with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on everything from websites to class syllabi.
Over the weekend, the department dropped a new document expanding on the Office for Civil Rights’ anti-DEI directive. Legal scholars say it takes a more nuanced approach but express varying levels of hope about its outcomes. Higher ed leaders have been asking the U.S. Department of Education for more detailed guidance ever since the Office for Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague letter on Feb. 14 calling for the elimination of race-conscious programming and policies.