DEI: Students benefit from it

Brent Regan’s opinion column in the Nov. 29 issue of the Coeur d’Alene Press was a misleading condemnation of higher education. He wants to be viewed as a “common sense” expert about all things, but it is obvious he knows little about higher education or NIC. He claims NIC’s commitment to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) caused a decline in enrollment and that DEI was the main concern of the accreditation commission.

Mr. Regan was not paying enough attention to the many missteps of his endorsed NIC trustee majority. It was their oblivious leadership, hostile behavior and wasteful spending that contributed to diminished enrollment and necessitated an accreditation review. DEI was not openly discussed by the trustees as a destructive influence at NIC, and it was not emphasized as a positive requirement by the accreditation commission.

Brent Regan is leading efforts of conservative extremists to reinvent education in the image of the Christian Nationalist ideology (Project 2025). Demonizing DEI is part of the national plan. It is being called racist and Marxist when it was created to nurture student success for those with disabilities, women, veterans, first generation college students, the poor, people of color, LGBTQ+ and others. Data studies have verified that students benefit more from learning in diverse populations, when they are treated equitably and when they feel included. Extremists who want to create obstacles for disadvantaged populations and who want to dilute higher education should be opposed. Their view of the future discourages critical thinking, freedom of learning and empathy, while growing their dystopian interpretation of “common sense.”

GARY COFFMAN

Coeur d’Alene