(USNewsMag.com) – The State University of New York (SUNY) system which comprises 64 campuses has begun informing incoming freshmen that in order to graduate they must take a mandatory racial equity course. The “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice” (DEISJ) course will be a graduation requirement regardless of a student’s desired degree.
One political science professor in the SUNY system spoke to the New York Post about the new requirement calling it “nuts.” Prof. Nicholas Giordano said the course is based on a cultural movement, not academics, and that DEISJ undermines the American identity by portraying the United States as inherently racist in an effort to create groups and pit them against each other.
The Chancellor of SUNY, John King, claimed the course will recognize and celebrate diversity and expressed the university’s commitment to “embedding diversity into the foundation of all it does,” in order to prepare young adults for the future workforce.
The document announcing the new requirement indicated that many of the campuses in the SUNY system will have to make “significant changes to existing curriculum” to achieve the desired “learning outcomes.” Along with the graduation requirement of the DEISJ course, the ideas embodied in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will be embedded in other curriculums as well.
News of the new ideological course requirement in the state’s university system follows recently unveiled requirements for employees of New York City to undergo a mandated training course focused on diversity and inclusion. While a city spokesperson claimed that the requirement is not new and is simply used to train people on equal opportunity employment requirements, many familiar with the curriculum likened it to Critical Race Theory (CRT).
CRT has been a controversial and explosive topic in the past few years. Many people had never heard of the concept until students nationwide were forced into remote learning situations by the pandemic and parents became more aware of the subject matter their children were being taught.
Several states have moved to ban CRT from the classroom. In Florida, Ron DeSantis has proposed banning CRT and DEI curricula from state schools.
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