CASEY RYAN: Accreditors Wield Power To End DEI In Schools
Accreditors wield significant power in determining if universities can receive federal funding or even grant recognized degrees. Institutions of higher learning must follow the guidance and standards set in place by…
Accreditors wield significant power in determining if universities can receive federal funding or even grant recognized degrees. Institutions of higher learning must follow the guidance and standards set in place by these organizations or risk losing their reputation, prestige, and educational standing.
Secretary Linda McMahon and her Education Department (ED) have now begun to use this to their advantage in their fight to ensure that Columbia University no longer allows antisemitism to run rampant on campus.
ED notified Columbia’s regional accreditor on June 4 that the university violated federal antidiscrimination laws for showing “deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students.” As a result, the department stated that the school failed to meet the organization’s standards for accreditation.
This is a smart move that opens the door to a new tool in the administration’s fight against discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April targeting accreditors for forcing universities to adopt DEI practices as well as obligating ED to provide these accreditors with reports of noncompliance from universities that fail to maintain respectable standards and obey federal laws.
America’s universities are divided into six regional accreditors. Columbia University’s accreditor is the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). ED explained that Columbia is no longer in line with MSCHE’s standards due to failing to show “compliance with all applicable government laws and regulations.”