Oklahoma governor signs order effectively banning diversity programs at public colleges

[Obama Ruined America]

On Wednesday Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma’s governor, signed an executive
order in effect banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
programs at agencies and public colleges and universities across the
state.

The order prohibits them from using state funds, property or
resources towards DEI initiatives and orders them to dismiss “non-
critical personnel”. It is effective immediately, but institutions
are expected to comply no later than 31 May 2024.

The 25 public colleges and universities in the state also have to
provide reports that detail the expenditure of their former DEI
initiatives and job positions. Stitt said he is “implementing
greater protections for Oklahomans and their tax dollars”. But
according to local news outlet KFOR, only “around $10.2m was spent
on DEI programs in the past decade. It accounted for three-tenths of
one percent of all higher education spending.”

The governor also said that Oklahoma should focus on supporting
low-income and first-generation students instead of supporting
students based on their race. However, DEI programs typically
provide support not only for students from marginalized communities,
but also for veterans, low-income students, first-generation
students, single parents and students with disabilities.


The University of Oklahoma’s Black emergency response team, a
student organization focused on “activism, advocacy, and social
justice“ released a statement saying that the executive order raises
concerns.

“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments, programs, and
entities play a pivotal role in providing a safe and inclusive space
for minority and marginalized communities on higher education
campuses,” the statement reads. “These initiatives offer students a
platform to voice their concerns, establish a home away from home,
and foster unity within the student life community. Any attempt to
remove personnel, funding, and programming jeopardizes the very
existence of these essential spaces.

Oklahoma’s ban is the latest in a wave of efforts across the country
to walk back DEI initiatives that were largely popularized during
and after 2020. Earlier this year Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor,
signed bills banning institutions from spending federal or state
dollars on DEI initiatives, while, last month, the Iowa Board of
Regents voted to direct the state’s public universities to cut DEI
programs that are not necessary for research contracts or
accreditation. The same day Stitt signed his executive order,
according to WPR, Wisconsin Republicans successfully pushed the
University of Wisconsin to freeze DEI staffing through 2026 and
eliminate or refocus about 40 positions focused on diversity.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/14/oklahoma-ban-
diversity-dei-program-colleges

[Harvard social club]

Harvard stepped in their own shit this time. They should be
decertified as an educational institution and declared a for-

profit

organization, banned from receiving any state or federal funding

for

eternity.

One of the academics accusing Harvard president Claudine Gay of
copying
her work has blasted the Ivy League school for redefining plagiarism
by
standing by her — claiming she was only saved because she’s “its
first
black president.”

Carol Swain, a former political science professor at Vanderbilt
University, spoke out hours after Harvard said it was standing by
the
embattled president — even while conceding some of her academic work
needed correcting after an investigation into the plagiarism claims.

“I feel like her whole research agenda, her whole career, was based
on
my work,” Swain told Fox News Digital of allegations Gay lifted some
without proper attribution.

“My blood pressure is rising today because of Harvard’s decision
that
what she did doesn’t constitute plagiarism, and it doesn’t rise to
the
level of her removal,” she said.

Most of us know what plagiarism is,” she said.

“It is an insult to intelligence what Harvard University has done,”
she
said of the outrage also involving Gay’s congressional testimony on
antisemitism at the school.

Harvard Corporation’s decision to stand by the embattled president
“is
very demeaning to every person, not just racial and ethnic
minorities,
but anyone who has worked in school, who’s written papers, who’s
tried
to follow the guidelines,” she complained.

Swain suggested Gay is “getting a free pass” because she was the
product
of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, echoing claims made
by
hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman.

“Obviously, the Harvard Corporation did not have the courage to fire
its
first black president, someone who should never have been elevated
in
the first place,” said Swain, who is also black.

“They have decided they would rather lower standards for everyone
rather
than to hold her — who attended the most, you know, elite schools in
America — to the same standards that average Americans are held to.”

Harvard should “apply the same standards to [Gay] as they would
apply to
a white person under the same circumstances,” Swain also told City
Journal.

“A white male would probably already be gone,” she claimed.

https://nypost.com/2023/12/13/news/harvard-redefining-plagiarism-
by-stand
ing-by-claudine-gay-claims-academic-she-accused-of-copying/

[Ivana Banger]

On Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:57:10 -0500, Obama Ruined America

Post by Obama Ruined America
On Wednesday Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma’s governor, signed an executive
order in effect banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
programs at agencies and public colleges and universities across the
state.
The order prohibits them from using state funds, property or
resources towards DEI initiatives and orders them to dismiss “non-
critical personnel�. It is effective immediately, but institutions
are expected to comply no later than 31 May 2024.
The 25 public colleges and universities in the state also have to
provide reports that detail the expenditure of their former DEI
initiatives and job positions. Stitt said he is “implementing
greater protections for Oklahomans and their tax dollars�. But
according to local news outlet KFOR, only “around $10.2m was spent
on DEI programs in the past decade. It accounted for three-tenths of
one percent of all higher education spending.�
The governor also said that Oklahoma should focus on supporting
low-income and first-generation students instead of supporting
students based on their race. However, DEI programs typically
provide support not only for students from marginalized communities,
but also for veterans, low-income students, first-generation
students, single parents and students with disabilities.
The University of Oklahoma’s Black emergency response team, a
student organization focused on “activism, advocacy, and social
justice“ released a statement saying that the executive order raises
concerns.
“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments, programs, and
entities play a pivotal role in providing a safe and inclusive space
for minority and marginalized communities on higher education
campuses,â€? the statement reads. “These initiatives offer students a
platform to voice their concerns, establish a home away from home,
and foster unity within the student life community. Any attempt to
remove personnel, funding, and programming jeopardizes the very
existence of these essential spaces.
Oklahoma’s ban is the latest in a wave of efforts across the country
to walk back DEI initiatives that were largely popularized during
and after 2020. Earlier this year Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor,
signed bills banning institutions from spending federal or state
dollars on DEI initiatives, while, last month, the Iowa Board of
Regents voted to direct the state’s public universities to cut DEI
programs that are not necessary for research contracts or
accreditation. The same day Stitt signed his executive order,
according to WPR, Wisconsin Republicans successfully pushed the
University of Wisconsin to freeze DEI staffing through 2026 and
eliminate or refocus about 40 positions focused on diversity.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/14/oklahoma-ban-
diversity-dei-program-colleges

Oklahoma is one fucked up state. Not as bad as Utah but close.