At their meeting on March 21, the Longwood University Board of Visitors approved a resolution regarding actions and guidance from the federal and state government against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which addressed matters of compliance but stopped far short of measures taken by other Virginia colleges and universities to dissolve offices related to DEI.
As reported by The Rotunda on March 19, the Board met on March 21 in an abbreviated meeting to approve promotion and tenure for faculty members, as they traveled to Pittsburgh the day prior to watch the Women’s Basketball team take on Duquesne University in the first round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). According to University Spokesperson and Deputy to the President Matt McWilliams in an email statement prior to the meeting, “There is nothing in the Board materials focused on the issue of diversity, equity, and inclusion, but I expect the Board may bring up that issue.”
At the meeting, the Board approved a resolution titled “Resolution of Longwood University Regarding the Presidential Executive Order on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” to address federal and state guidance on DEI.
While the resolution does not outline any specific changes, it states the University will, “ensure that all University programs, policies, practices, and actions in every regard comply with the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other federal civil rights laws.”
According to an email statement to The Rotunda on April 1, McWilliams said the vote to approve the resolution was unanimous.
In an email to Faculty and Staff on March 25, University President W. Taylor Reveley IV stated the measure “confirms our commitment to intellectual diversity and to continuing to follow all applicable laws with regards to non-discrimination.”
He added, “I do not believe we should or must change course in any significant way.”
“The resolution serves as a signal to that effect, and of our commitments to the Commonwealth and federal government to continue following the law,” Reveley wrote. “It is a step that helps me say to you all something very important: Longwood is meeting our obligations. Your work is important. Keep doing it.”
McWilliams reaffirmed this in his April 1 statement, where he wrote, “We do not believe we should or must change course in any significant way from our normal course of business.”
This resolution is far less wide-reaching than actions taken by other Virginia institutions. The University of Virginia (UVA), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Tech and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) have terminated their DEI offices and practices.
Similarly, according to reporting from Axios, Christopher Newport University (CNU) has removed references to the “President’s Council on DEI” on its website, and James Madison University (JMU) has removed anti-racism resources from its website.
At Longwood, few changes have been noted as of publication. On the Office of Multicultural Affairs webpage on Longwood’s website, a statement about diversity, equity and inclusion was removed from the top. The page was previously subtitled, “Diversity is a Fact, Inclusion is a Practice, and Equity is the Goal.”
Furthermore, the page once stated, “The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is dedicated to developing, educating, empowering, challenging and supporting historically marginalized and underrepresented students,” but was updated to state, “The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is dedicated to empowering, challenging and supporting underrepresented populations.”
Reveley spoke at the Closing Faculty Meeting on March 27 in Blackwell Ballroom, where he shared updates on Longwood’s response to federal and state guidance — as well as numerous worries and concerns he has about political developments.
At the beginning of his remarks, Reveley said he will ensure Longwood is in good standing going forward. “I am doing everything I can, working day and night, using all my abilities, canny and uncanny, to keep us in good stead and keep threats away,” he said.
He referred to the resolution passed by the Board of Visitors as a “compliance or due diligence document that's different than the type of resolution several other places around the state passed.” Furthermore, he said the resolution was approved “at the encouragement of the state government.”
The president, who said he will speak with the University Diversity Council this week, said he feels confident in Longwood’s compliance with Civil Rights Law. “I have not always been popular in the past with my lawyer mind and how we've addressed diversity matters, but we've addressed them in a legally very sound way, and so we get to keep doing good work on that front,” he said.
Reveley expressed his concern for students' mental health and worries in the current political environment and said, “It doesn't break my heart that plenty of students are living in a Longwood bubble and are not highly attuned to what's going on.”
However, he added, “That is utterly not true of everybody. Others are worried about their family finances. They're worried about their immigration status. They’re worried about a lot, and this is already in a generation that has mental health challenges.”
Reveley took questions near the end of the meeting, and in response to criticism from a faculty member regarding his comment that students aren’t attuned to these issues, said, “I certainly don't encourage that… More, I guess just taking cognizance of the fact that's the spot some are in.”
Professor of Education Dr. Sara Miller noted to Reveley during Q&A, “I was really dismayed [about the BOV resolution]… I feel like the perception for a lot of people is that we caved.”
As part of his response, Reveley said, “Everything we were doing a month ago, or a year ago, or a decade ago, we are doing now and going forward.”
The Rotunda will continue to follow this developing story.
