School of Science website removes “Diversity and Inclusion” page
The School joins other universities in removing references to DEI
Recently, the MIT School of Science removed its “Diversity and Inclusion” page, which now redirects to the MIT School of Science Academic Affairs & Community Engagement (AACE) website. Although the words “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” still exist under the Mission and Values heading on the About page with the hyperlink of “https://sites.mit.edu/sciencedei/,” this link also redirects to AACE.
According to a Tech article published on Nov. 11, 2020, the “Diversity and Inclusion” page linked to each School of Science academic department’s community value statements. The page also provided information about departmental affinity groups for women and racial minority groups. Furthermore, resources for DEI scholarship and research also existed on this page.
An exact date for the removal of the DEI page on the School of Science website could not be confirmed. As of the time of publication, the School of Science spokesperson had not responded to The Tech’s request for comment.
Besides the School of Science, a number of MIT institutions and departments have removed their webpages about DEI. These include research centers such as the Whitehead Institute and McGovern Institute, as well as academic departments like the Department of Biology.
These changes reflect a recent trend of universities across the U.S. removing or renaming DEI pages from their websites in response to the Trump administration’s recent executive orders banning DEI programs and initiatives across various sectors, including higher education and research. Due to the executive order, some federal agencies including NASA and the Department of Energy have recently required grant recipients to end DEI-related activities.