MORGANTGOWN – In response to an executive order from West Virginia’s new governor, Patrick Morrisey, WVU closed its Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Implementation began on Thursday, WVU told The Dominion Post.
Word of the closure went out in a Thursday email to the campus community.
In place of the DEI Division, WVU said in the email, a new unit, the Division of Campus Engagement and Compliance, has been established with a redefined mission.
“This unit will focus on ensuring the university adheres to federal and state guidance and fulfilling the needs of our campus community, including compliance with Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act which is its primary focus. This is not a rebranding, but a shift in focus that will align with the governor’s directive.”
WVU’s action and Morrisey’s order are also tied to a Jan. 20 Trump administration order ending federal DEI programs that said, in part, “The Director of the Office of Management and Budget, assisted by the Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall coordinate the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”
Morrisey issued his order on Jan. 14, the day after his inauguration. To eliminate DEI out of state government, as he summarized it.
The Dominion Post asked WVU how the transition would affect DEI Division employees, and if they would be transferred to the new division.
WVU said, “A focused group of employees were housed in the former division to carry out assignments, including federal compliance of Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act. That compliance work will remain as part of the new WVU Division of Campus Engagement and Compliance led by Vice President Meshea Poore. Duties and responsibilities of campus engagement in the new division is being determined.”
Asked about any costs associated with the transition, WVU said, “Once our review of the executive orders is complete, we will have a better understanding of overall future needs, including budget.”
In announcing the closure, WVU said in its email, “West Virginia University has been diligently reviewing Gov. Morrisey’s Executive Order No. 3-25 while actively engaging with members of the campus community and key stakeholders and providing internal guidance and talking points to assist with initial questions or concerns. The university administration genuinely appreciates the patience being shown as this work continues.”
Announcing the end of one division and creation of another as immediate steps, WVU said, “Once the university’s review is complete, administrators will have a better understanding of the impact and will provide more specific, unit-level guidance at that time. The university is committed to keeping the WVU community informed throughout this process and will continue to provide regular communication and feedback as it works to ensure it is in compliance with any and all obligations.”
WVU described the DEI Division in this way: The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion provides university-wide education, support, accountability and leadership on issues relating to diversity to the campus and community. The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion exists because WVU is always striving to create the safe, diverse, welcoming community we all deserve.”
The division’s website (still up as of Friday) includes links to the DEI classroom offer 30-90 minute sessions on such topics as advocacy, microaggressions and inclusive language, and youth protection; a “Yappy Hour” to de-stress with a dog on campus; a Kindness Campaign; and a link to Project Implicit implicit bias tests.
Morrisey celebrated WVU’s move on Friday, beginning, “Several weeks ago, I came to you during my inaugural address to talk about how we needed to eradicate the woke virus in our schools. We emphasized the importance of getting rid of DEI out of West Virginia state government.”
This included any entity receiving state resources.
“This is important for a lot of different reasons. I’m a believer, like many of you, that God looks at us, the rule of law looks at us, as equals. We have an equal protection clause. We care about the rule of law. We care about freedom. We don’t want special preferences unlawfully benefitting one group over another – race, color, age, ethnicity. We have to make sure we’re taking steps to treat everyone the same under the law.”
Regarding WVU, he said, “This is a big win for the Mountain State. I want to applaud WVU for the actions that it’s taken. This is really critical. I know there’s always a lot of pressure to do the wrong thing – here is West Virginia, we’re going to do the right thing and we’re going to make sure that West Virginia always stands for freedom, the rule of law, and the American ideal.”
The ACLU’s West Virginia chapter is among the groups opposing Morrisey’s order. ACLU-WV Legal Director Aubrey Sparks said, “This hastily written executive order represents a potential violation of educators’ free speech rights enshrined in the Constitution and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Not only do we believe this order to be unconstitutional, we also can’t overstate the degree to which it is meant to create a state government hostile to people from marginalized communities.”
