Another State Follows DeSantis’ Lead and Requests Data on University Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Spending

South Carolina lawmakers followed Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration’s lead and requested data about how much money public colleges and universities spend to support Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programming and staff, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The legislators requested the 33 public colleges and universities submit information about how much is spent on salaries and operating costs to make campus “diverse, equitable, and inclusive,” according to a letter obtained by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The request makes South Carolina the third state to request information on higher education DEI spending.

The South Carolina legislators defined DEI as “attempts to take an official institutional policy on concepts such as unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, and microaggressions,” the Chronicle reported. It also requests data on the amount spent on trainings or activities geared toward a particular race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

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