SUNY mandates ‘Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice’ course

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The New York State Board of Regents have declared that all incoming freshmen to SUNY (State University of New York) in the fall of 2023 must take a course focused on “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice”, or they won’t be allowed to graduate.

“This is nuts,” Professor Nicholas Giordano of SUNY’s Suffolk Community College, told The New York Post. Giordano believes the DEISJ coursework views the United States as “inherently racist,” and “creates groups and pits them against each other.”

He further added that the curriculum will now force students “to be defined by the color of their skin."

Conservative Party of New York's Chairman, Jerry Kassar echoed Giordano’s point of view. He claimed:

This is a woke, left-wing agenda. It’s disturbing. It’s dangerous. They’re treating everybody as having prejudice. It’s like a socialist, Communist state. It’s unbelievable. These ideas are best addressed at home.

The University Faculty Senate and the Faculty Council of Community Colleges to Campuses encourage the teaching of this course to consider perspectives from outside America.

They wrote:

One can imagine how theory and criticism rooted outside the United States could help guide faculty and students in addressing and thinking about diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice in the United States.

SUNY Chancellor John King offered his rationales on the policy, explaining that “exposure to, and understanding of, diversity is essential to success in our modern society and economy. As a leader in preparing the future workforce and citizenry, SUNY is committed to embedding diversity into the foundation of all it does – from academics to campus life and everything in between.”

He added, “By recognizing and celebrating our diversity and fostering respectful dialogue and debate, SUNY provides students with the world-class education they deserve.”