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Faculty member urges clarification after Governors State University renames DEI office
Summary
An associate professor urged Governors State University trustees for transparency and explanation after the university renamed its diversity, equity and inclusion office to the Office of Institutional Engagement and Excellence and began removing DEI references from the website.
Rebecca Seifert, an associate professor of art history in the College of Arts and Sciences, used the board’s public-comment period to express “dissent and concerns” over the university’s recent renaming of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to the Office of Institutional Engagement and Excellence and the reported removal of references to diversity, equity and inclusion from the university website.
Seifert said the change came a little more than a week after a campuswide communication that said the university remained “steadfast in our mission to foster an inclusive and accessible campus where every student and employee can thrive.” She said the renaming and the apparent website changes occurred without “acknowledgement or the engagement of faculty, staff, and students.”
“To see references to diversity, equity, and inclusion start to get scrubbed from the University's website sent a chill down my spine because it sends a message that Gov State will go against their professed dedication to these values without inviting a conversation,” Seifert said.
Seifert asked whether the university had received a “Dear Colleague” letter and requested to see it if it had been received; she asked for an explanation if no such letter exists. The transcript does not record a direct answer to her question during the public-comment segment. Chair (unnamed) responded by thanking Seifert for her remarks and saying the trustees would take the comments into consideration as they fulfill their responsibilities; the chair reminded speakers to remain respectful and noted the board welcomes comments during open sessions.
Seifert spoke during the public-comment period established under Public Act 91-0715 and was allotted the standard three-minute time limit for remarks.
