One of the first things Donald Trump did after being sworn into office was to start dismantling ridiculous and discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in every aspect of Americans' lives, ensuring that every American is judged on their merit and not their race, ethnicity, or gender when applying for a job or to get into college.
Many companies and corporations, as well as colleges and universities, have done away with DEI. But there are still a few holdouts, a few who refuse to let go of these absurd, woke policies.
“Oh the times they are a changing…”
— Roxxanne Reed (@rentedocean) July 18, 2025
Washington University scrubs webpages of DEI content. ‘People are scared in higher education.’ https://t.co/x4xlZv3Pdw via @stltoday
In 2025, when you leave your house, you should probably assume that you are on camera somewhere. That is not what Vanderbilt University's Peabody Facilities Manager, Office of the Dean employee Janet Roberts did. Roberts was recently caught on camera letting one giant cat out of the bag, and in the process, dishing out a heavy dose of cattiness herself at Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R).
READ MORE: Still Not Tired of Winning: DOGE Slashes $370 Million From Dept. of Education's DEI Budget
Roberts begins by talking about Blackburn, saying, "We have this one, um...Gosh, I think she's a Representative or something like that. I just heard that she may run for Governor, and I'm going, 'Oh God help us.'"
Someone off-camera responds to her, but it is unclear what is said. Roberts responds, saying, "Yeah I'm, I know. She's ridiculous." The off-camera voice then asks if it is Blackburn, and Roberts nods her head yes.
But Janet Roberts was just getting warmed up. The camera then cuts to her standing in a hallway where she is seen talking to someone. Again, unclear if it is the same off-camera person as before. Roberts then launches into how the school is
"heavily supported by federal funding. Facility side of it, we, we will, you know, we're not advertising diversity and inclusion lectures. We're not, we're - you know, we used to have a whole, you know, a whole series. So, you know, things like that have changed. A lot of things like that have changed. And then, I mean, if they're students, if it's student-led, that's one thing. It's not organized from the office. And that's just been in the last few months. We're flying under the radar, I mean, honestly."
Perhaps this is where a little camera radar would have come in handy for Janet Roberts.
Vanderbilt and the University of Tennessee — were caught on undercover recordings admitting to rebranding their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in an effort to sidestep Republican-led bans.https://t.co/zxoaVwMYz3
— The Conservative M. D. 🗨️🇺🇸 (@WarriorsForAll) July 23, 2025
Robert's disdain for Marsha Blackburn may stem from a letter sent in April of this year to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) President Jeffrey Balser. In the letter, Blackburn discussed reports that VUMC was concealing DEI practices and not in compliance with President Trump's executive action on ending DEI at colleges and universities.
Blackburn's letter went on to remind Balser that VUMC had received more than $66 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards so far in the current fiscal year. A portion of that funding, $17 million to be exact, went not to advance any medical research, but to invest in (liberal term for "spend") VUMC's "DEI and Belonging Program," whose focus was to hire "diverse biomedical researchers."
But thanks to Roberts saying the quiet part out loud, it turns out Senator Blackburn was right. DEI has not gone away at Vanderbilt University. It had just crawled out of sight until now. However, Roberts and Vanderbilt's dirty little secret may cost them.
In February, the Department of Education directed America's institutions of higher learning to do away with DEI programs or face loss of federal funding. Roberts can be as nasty to Sen. Blackburn as she wants, but maybe next time she will remember to smile...and assume she is being recorded.
🚨BUSTED: @VanderbiltU's Janet Roberts was CAUGHT ON CAMERA disparaging Sen. Marsha Blackburn and hiding the school's DEI practices.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 23, 2025
"God help us...[@MarshaBlackburn's] ridiculous"
"We are heavily supported by federal funding...[so] we're not advertising diversity and… pic.twitter.com/CIxV6FCrwe
UPDATE, July 24, 2025, 2:30 PM EDT
Vanderbilt University issued the following statement:
"Vanderbilt has hired the firm Baker Donelson to conduct an independent review of recent incidents involving covert recordings of university employees. Baker Donelson will be tasked with reviewing the specific circumstances related to the recordings and identifying steps the university can take to ensure all employees fully understand the university’s policies and consistently act in accordance. The university will review the findings and recommendations of the report and take any appropriate follow-up actions. As part of our protocol, staff involved will step back from regular responsibilities to allow the review to unfold.
"Vanderbilt is committed to being a destination for the most promising individuals from a broad range of perspectives and creating an environment where they can realize their full potential."
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