Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty In today’s episode of MAGA: Mimicking Authoritarian Governments Again, the Trump administration has forced the resignation of the University of Virginia’s president, James E. Ryan, over the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. According to the New York Times, Ryan resigned last Friday amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping attacks on higher education, which have affected numerous colleges and universities across the country, including Harvard and Columbia University, which have publicly feuded with the Trump administration over allegations ranging from rampant on-campus anti-semitism and DEI programs discriminating against white students and faculty, virtually all of which have been presented by the federal government with little to no evidence. Now, normally, the disputes between the White House and all the “woke” schools that it hates result in federal funding losses (the Times noted that “the administration has stripped billions of dollars from universities in pursuit of Mr. Trump’s policy goals”), but Ryan’s resignation marks the first time the administration has forced a university president out of their role. Ryan informed the board that he would resign after the Trump administration demanded he step aside in order to resolve a Justice Department inquiry into any DEI-related programs and initiatives the school may have been offering. And none of it is sitting well with students or faculty at UVA. From the Times: The reaction to Mr. Ryan’s resignation was immediate and emotional on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville. Faculty leadership held an emergency meeting to adopt a resolution opposing the change, and hundreds of students and faculty members gathered for an impromptu march to Carr’s Hill, the college president’s residence. Mr. Ryan emerged from the residence after a few minutes of the crowd chanting, “We want Jim,” and “Death to tyrants,” a rough version of the state motto, sic semper tyrannis. “I appreciate you being here. I appreciate your support,” Mr. Ryan told the crowd. “And regardless of my role, I will continue to do whatever I can to support this place and continue to make it the best place it can be. And I would ask that you all do the same.” As usual, the Trump administration is justifying going full “big government” on a private institution by ignoring the systemic exclusion that led to white men dominating higher education, along with every major industry in the nation, by framing any effort to correct that systemic discrimination as systemic discrimination against white men. More from the Times: Harmeet K. Dhillon, who has overseen the investigation as assistant attorney general for civil rights, said in a statement that she welcomed “leadership changes that signal institutional commitment to our nation’s venerable federal civil rights laws.” “When university leaders lack commitment to ending illegal discrimination in hiring, admissions and student benefits — they expose the institutions they lead to legal and financial peril,” Ms. Dhillon said. The Justice Department had targeted the University of Virginia for at least the past month. But 10 days ago, government lawyers tasked with enforcing federal laws issued a stern warning to the board overseeing the University of Virginia that the school needed to act quickly. The department informed the college of multiple complaints of race-based treatment on campus, and of the government’s conclusion that the use of race in admissions and other student benefits were “widespread practices throughout every component and facet of the institution.” “Time is running short, and the department’s patience is wearing thin,” the letter, dated June 17, said. If you are more comfortable with a federal government that throws its weight around to seize ideological control of higher education and reinforce white dominance than you are with diversity, equity, and inclusion on college campuses, then you are the problem, not DEI. See social media’s reaction to the move below.
