Louisiana Colleges Reveal Disheartening DEI Spending

News Summary

Recent reports unveil a startling lack of investment in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs among Louisiana public colleges. Following a legislative mandate, schools disclosed their DEI expenditures, with many institutions reporting zero spending. Overall, DEI initiatives accounted for a mere 0.1% of Louisiana’s higher education budget, raising concerns about the commitment towards fostering an inclusive educational environment. The findings highlight the disparity in funding allocations and prompt questions about the evolving priorities of colleges in the state.

Louisiana Colleges Spend Minuscule Amounts on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

Hey there! If you’ve been curious about how much Louisiana colleges are putting into diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, you might be surprised—or even shocked—by what recent reports have revealed.

A Legislative Requirement

So here’s the scoop: Louisiana lawmakers were eager to get a clearer picture of how much public colleges are spending on DEI initiatives. They recently mandated that every public school submitted a report detailing their DEI expenditures following Act 641. This legislation was championed by Representative Emily Chenevert from Baton Rouge, and it aims to bolster understanding of how institutions support diversity in the educational landscape.

The Findings

Now, let’s dive into the findings from a review by the Illuminator. The results are eye-opening! It turns out that roughly half of the public colleges in Louisiana reported spending absolutely nothing on DEI initiatives. Yes, you read that right—nothing at all. For those that do invest, the amounts range from a meager 0.001% to a slightly more notable 0.42% of their entire budgets.

When you break it down even further, 17 schools managed to spend around $3.5 million on DEI programs out of a whopping $2.7 billion designated for higher education in the latest fiscal year. That means DEI spending only makes up about 0.1% of the total state higher education budget. Quite a small slice of the pie, wouldn’t you say?

Where the Money Went

If you’re wondering who’s spending what, it’s essential to note that the rest of the schools—16 in total, including every campus in the historically Black Southern University system—reported a heart-sinking zero when it comes to their DEI spending. Among the schools that do allocate funds, the top spender was the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which poured over $710,000 into its Center for Louisiana Studies aimed at preserving local culture and history. Now that’s a meaningful investment! However, other expenditures varied widely, creating quite a complex picture.

For example, LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport spent just $1,915 on a Mardi Gras celebration, while McNeese State University dedicated $10,000 to a program dubbed the “Black Male Initiative.” It’s fascinating to see how different campuses prioritize their DEI initiatives, and in some cases, what constitutes a “diversity” program is left a bit ambiguous.

The Broader Conversation

Monty Sullivan, who leads the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, has weighed in on this political focus around DEI. He suggested that it’s becoming more of a distraction from the bigger economic goals that Louisiana’s educational institutions should be pursuing. There’s also been confusion regarding which types of personnel and initiatives truly fall under DEI, as each school interpreted the metrics differently.

Interestingly, eight out of nine schools in the University of Louisiana System reported spending on international student centers as part of their DEI initiatives, even though these centers usually aren’t categorized that way. They reported spending a combined total of $918,803 on these centers, representing almost one-third of the total DEI expenditures!

What’s Missing?

It’s also worth mentioning that the law doesn’t address DEI efforts aimed at veterans, disabled students, rural folks, non-traditional students, or first-generation college students. That makes you wonder—aren’t these groups deserving of attention as well?

As we see this conversation evolve, some universities are taking action by removing “DEI language” from their websites altogether, as seen on LSU’s main campus. This seems to signal a significant shift in priorities, particularly since the LSU Board of Supervisors decided in 2024 to eliminate DEI programs across the entire LSU system, making their stance clear.

Conclusion

So, what does all this mean for the students and communities within Louisiana? The minimal spending on DEI initiatives raises questions about how colleges view their commitment to fostering an inclusive environment. Will more significant investment occur in the future, or will it remain a minor footnote in budget discussions? It looks like the conversation about DEI at Louisiana colleges has just begun, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds from here!