When I immigrated from Poland to the United States, I spoke virtually no English. Yet, despite facing language barriers and the initial struggle of fitting into a new culture, I always felt welcomed. This genuine inclusivity... acceptance based on kindness rather than policy... is something I deeply value. But today, what universities label as "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) initiatives bear little resemblance to the welcoming environment I experienced. Instead, DEI has evolved into an expensive ideological bureaucracy driving skyrocketing tuition costs and offering little real benefit to students.

DEI's New Disguise

Universities like the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan recently made headlines by publicly discontinuing their DEI programs.

But these announcements were largely symbolic. At Alabama, the role of DEI administrator wasn’t eliminated... it was simply renamed the "Vice President and Associate Provost for Opportunities, Connections and Success," complete with the same inflated salaries. Similarly, Michigan replaced "DEI" with terms like "Hope", but retained the costly administrative structures underneath.