This is a developing story.
The University of Alaska is removing all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) terms “from websites as well as any electronic and print materials,” according to a message sent Friday afternoon by the head of the Juneau campus.
The removal of DEI references was approved Friday by the university’s Board of Regents, according to an email to the “UAS Community” by Chancellor Aparna Dileep-Nageswaran Palmer. The mandate, like many taking place across the nation, is in response to executive orders and ultimatums issued by the Trump administration that schools and universities must eliminate DEI measures or risk losing their federal funding.
“This was a difficult decision for the Board to make but, ultimately, they were driven by their desire to ensure the long-term success of the University of Alaska system in the face of the potential threat of losing all of the federal funding we receive to support our students and employees,” Palmer wrote.
A federal judge on Friday blocked an order by Trump to withhold such funds, ruling it likely violates the first Amendment. However, Trump and top administration officials have suggested they may not abide by court rulings invalidating executive branch actions — and been accused of doing that already by a federal judge who reversed a freeze on federal grants.
The board for the Juneau School District, which among other things has an equity standards statement at the “Indian Studies Program” section of its website and generally expressed support for inclusivity policies such as allowing transgender students to participate in team sports, has not taken any actions to purge DEI content. Federal funding represents 0.48% of the district’s proposed operating budget revenue for the coming fiscal year, according to a draft of the budget reviewed by the board Thursday night.
Palmer stated in her email the Regents, in their directive to university administrators to enact the DEI ban, “have taken care to reaffirm their dedication to offering an open and welcoming environment for everyone to learn.”
“They have also expressed their commitment to honoring Alaska Native culture and heritage,” she wrote. “Finally, they have expressed their strong support for freedom of expression and academic freedom.”
The mission statement at the Regents’ website as of Friday night read “The University of Alaska inspires learning, and advances and disseminates knowledge through teaching, research, and public service, emphasizing the North and its diverse peoples.”
The vote to pass the anti-DEI policy was 9-1, according to state Rep. Ashley Carrick, a Fairbanks Democrat, in a social media post that includes a copy of the board’s official motion and statement.
“For many of us in the UA community this is a devastating blow,” she wrote. “Further, this action was not listed on todays agenda, and the Board of Regents took no public input. This will create a dangerous precedence for institutions of higher learning. I do not think the Board of Regents can affirm its dedication to being an inclusive and nondiscriminatory institution while implementing such harmful policies.”
Officials at all three UA campuses will be working “in the next few days and weeks” to remove DEI references, according to Palmer.
As of Friday night a UAS webpage titled “Chancellorʼs Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Cultural Safety” and its annual report for the 2024 academic year was still online. Also online is a “Diversity Education” webpage with links to essays, podcasts and other materials, including a Time magazine article headlined “Racism in Trump’s America.”
Among the advisory committee’s 13 listed goals for the 2025 academic year are “Enhance support reports of discrimination and increase capacity of care team to provide support,” “Revise classroom policies to allow flexibility and accommodations for subsistence-related activities,” and “Create a group where people can come together to talk about racism and their experiences (e.g., conflict resolution, white ally discussion).”
Palmer’s email signature contains the postscript “I work and reside on the unceded homelands of the Áakʼw Ḵwáan, Taantʼá Ḵwáan, and Sheet’ká Ḵwáan on Lingít Aaní, also known as Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka Alaska, adjacent to the ancestral home of the X̱aadas and Ts’msyen peoples.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
