University Drops a Bomb: There Will Be No More 'Office of Equity and Inclusion'

Say it ain’t so. Surely that was the response of many upon hearing the news.

Point Park University is doing the unthinkable. And whatever its reason, the move is bound to get culturally canceled.

On March 7th, the private Pittsburgh college announced a shuttering of its Office of Equity and Inclusion.

After the Spring ’22 semester, OEI is following in the forked and unfortunate footsteps of the dodo bird.

As noted by school outlet The Globe, SGA President Dennis McDermott wasn’t a fan of the closure. In fact, he intended to fight it with “everything in [his] power”:

In an interview with The Globe, SGA President Dennis McDermott said that SGA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chair Eli Bagaporo notified the Executive Cabinet on Friday, Feb. 25 that the office would be “disbanded” before the start of the Fall 2022 semester.

“I’m going to do everything in my power in my last semester here as president to make sure this doesn’t happen,” McDermott said. “And we accomplished some big things last year, and I can’t make any promises, but if I have any say in it, it’s going to stay exactly how it is.”

OEI’s official mission is stated thusly:

[To] wholeheartedly foster institutional equity, diversity, and inclusion by raising awareness and implementing strategies and tools to shift mindsets and align all members of the campus community with creating a culture of appreciation, acceptance, and inclusion for all individuals at every level of the institution.

Without the office, myriad attendees are likely wondering how an inclusive campus can survive.

Doubtlessly, many would find it difficult to believe what you already know: Once upon a time, no such thing as “diversity, equity and inclusion” existed. No one had heard of it, and no one was asking for it.

In that mystical domain, there was neither such an idea as “identity.” Individuals weren’t webbed by an existential crisis which could only be unraveled by the affirmation of others. People had the right to view peers however they wished. And to be “seen” merely confirmed one’s lack of an invisibility superpower. Guys and girls woke up each day and focused on their tasks, with no thought of who noticed them or who did not. There were no identity groups, there was no “marginalization” or “personal truth.”

And within that sorcerous realm sat the concept of school: It was a place in which kids sat at desks while teachers dryly delivered information about the academic subjects at hand. There was no talk of racialization, no emphasis on oppression, no promotion of instructors’ personal lives, no bolstering of students’.

Speech was free, and still everyone felt “safe.”

Enrollees were treated with “equality” — every rule and standard applied equally to all.

And the most peculiar thing is that the Earth spun just the same. Things got done, education was attained, and no one was “harmed” or “microaggressed” to the point of peril.

Of course, those days are long past. Now, it seems assumed rightful things can’t occur without a diversity, equity and inclusion apparatus overseeing all.

Hence, I predict the Office of Equity and Inclusion — which was only launched just before the pandemic — will shortly be revived.

‘Til then, other DEI departments will do the heavy lifting:

The staff that handles diversity, equity and inclusion training will be moving to the Center for Inclusive Excellence, including the Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Training Michael Thornhill, according to Corsaro.

“None of the work OEI does is being eliminated; rather, the various components of the office would shift to other areas of the University where they will find more support and be able to focus more directly on their missions,” [Managing Director of University Marketing and Public Relations Lou Corsaro] said. “Final plans are still being developed and University leadership continues to meet with various groups for input.”

SGA President Dennis knows what’s what:

“I think you could ask any number of my student government what it means to them to have an office at our university, specifically dedicated to the issues of which it is titled for — equity and inclusion — is just a sign of a progressive institution that people want to go to. And people feel proud to be part of an institution that cares that much to dedicate their entire group of people towards solving issues regarding that.”

Indeed — hopefully, Point Park will manage to remain just as inclusive as before:

University Orders Adherence to Preferred Pronouns and Made-Up Monikers, Threatens 'Action' Regardless of 'Intent' https://t.co/OEQ5DWGoWq

— RedState (@RedState) September 22, 2021

Student Protests University's 'Inclusive' Pronoun Rules, a Petition Demands He Be Kicked out of School
https://t.co/H8BYvOJcHm

— RedState (@RedState) September 29, 2021