Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Colorado universities is largely hypocritical. While universities claim that their DEI initiatives are in place to benefit campus communities, evidence suggests that they do the exact opposite. In fact, multiple Colorado universities have come under scrutiny for discrimination in hiring and admissions, as well as anti-semitism on campus. In the topsy-turvy world of DEI, higher education’s pursuit of diversity leads to ideological homogeneity, equity causes inequality, and inclusion results in exclusion.

First, many Colorado universities pride themselves for having a diverse campus. However, their focus is almost entirely racial and ethical diversity. By prioritizing this type of diversity, universities have created ideological homogeneity.

A Gazette editorial from earlier this year lays out how the University of Colorado Boulder prioritized race and DEI activism when hiring faculty, even discussing a potential German professor’s racial diversity and ability to provide a critical race perspective on fairytales. CU Boulder appears uninterested in choosing academics for their achievements or other relevant qualifications in their field, but instead for their ideological stances.

Second, Colorado universities prioritize equity, or “fairness or justice in the way people are treated.” However, their version of fairness actively creates inequality by disadvantaging certain races for the benefit of others.

SCOTUS weighs in

Equity practices in higher education were addressed recently by the US Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College (SSFA v. Harvard). This court case investigated the constitutionality of Harvard’s affirmative action policies, which factored race into admissions, with SSFA arguing that this discriminated against Asian applicants.  The high court agreed, ruling that the race-based admissions violate the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

When this case was being presented, I was starting my search for colleges, and it shaped my application process. I knew that universities in Colorado prided themselves on their DEI efforts. I worried that, if I applied to any of these universities, I would be at a disadvantage as an Asian-American. Therefore, I chose to apply to universities that were out-of-state.

In fact, despite the ruling in SSFA v. Harvard, many institutions are still being investigated for discrimination. Amongst these is the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, which came under investigation for its partnership with the PhD Project, an organization that seeks to diversify the business world by prioritizing minorities.

Finally, Colorado universities claim to promote inclusion, stating that they value differences and that they want to bring together diverse identities. However, by including some, these colleges exclude and alienate others.

DEI as exclusionary

In the past, CU Boulder and many other Colorado universities have offered courses in anti-racism and whiteness studies that discussed the inherent privilege of white individuals and how to identify white supremacy. However, by painting history in terms of white oppressors and ethnic oppressed, these courses ignore and exclude the cultural history of many white minorities. Due to their skin color, the historical persecution of Jewish individuals, as well as Italians, Russians, and Irish have been overwritten and excluded from the narrative. Despite these classes no longer being offered at Boulder, just this year Denver’s Auraria campus came under investigation for antisemitism in relation to anti-Israel encampments.

Too be fair, there are some beneficial aspects of DEI. For example, when done right, inclusion initiatives can provide support for neurodiverse students and students with non-traditional backgrounds, such as those with children or those returning to college later in life. Other programs can help students feel at home on their campus and help connect with their culture. It is when universities lose sight of benefiting all students and begin to discriminate and disadvantage individuals that it becomes harmful.

So while there are some benefits, DEI at Colorado universities for the most part is hypocritical, harming the students that they seek to help. Rather than actually promoting DEI’s three pillars, universities instead create ideological homogeneity, inequality, and exclusion.

An alumnus of Golden View Classical Academy, Jordan Smith attends Nebraska Wesleyan University University and is a graduate of the Future Leaders Program at Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver.