NC Senate Approves Legislation Eliminating 'DEI' from UNC System Schools, Community Colleges
Every Democrat voted AGAINST protecting First Amendment rights
Raleigh, N.C. — Today, the North Carolina Senate passed Senate Bill 558, “Eliminating ‘DEI’ in Public Higher Education,” to prohibit UNC System schools and community colleges from promoting discriminatory policies and practices.
No Democrats voted in favor of the bill.
Senate Bill 558 refocuses the curriculum and supports free speech for students and faculty across all of North Carolina’s stellar public universities and colleges.
This bill addresses the influx of divisive concepts and practices being embraced on our college campuses. It would put an end to engaging in and advocating for discriminatory practices, endorsing divisive concepts, compelling students or university employees to profess belief in divisive concepts, maintaining an office, division, individual, or other unit that promotes divisive concepts or is named diversity equity, and inclusion, and requiring completion of a course or multiple courses related to divisive concepts to complete a program.
“Unfortunately, college campuses are plagued with ‘DEI’ initiatives,” Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said. “We want campuses to be welcoming environments for all students. It’s time for our higher education institutions to focus on their core missions, and this bill will do just that.”
This bill would not infringe on a student or faculty member’s First Amendment rights, prevent access to materials accessed for academic purposes and instruction or discussion on such concepts, so long as it is made clear that the school does not endorse those divisive concepts.
“Higher education as we know it was birthed right here in North Carolina,” Sen. Brad Overcash (R-Gaston) said. “We have the best public colleges and universities in the nation, and we shouldn’t let the good work they do be overshadowed by these divisive concepts and discriminatory practices.”
Senate Bill 558 defines 12 specific divisive concepts, including the concepts that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; an individual, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive; an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex; and an individual’s moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex.
“It is a privilege to attend an institution of higher education, and with that privilege comes a lofty cost,” Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) said. “North Carolinians should not have to fork over tens of thousands of dollars only to be forced to conform to a set of beliefs that go against free speech and thought.”
Senate Bill 558 now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
