Two out of three US colleges require DEI-related classes for graduation: Speech First report

The free speech advocacy group argued that the results of the study revealed that students at institutes of higher learning were being subject to "a level of indoctrination and coercion that was far beyond what many of us thought," and that even in states where DEI departments had been banned, administrators were still managing to sneak the ideology in.

Of the 248 universities and colleges chosen by Speech First, 165 had a graduation requirement that included a course dealing with themes related to DEI. Of those, 59 percent we public institutions, while 41 percent were private.

While some universities mandated courses that were blatantly forcing far-left ideology upon students, for others the push to study certain ideas was more subtle.

At American University, for example, students must complete a "Diversity & Equity requirement by taking courses that "attend to issues of power, privilege, and inequality that are embedded in social, cultural, or economic hierarchies."

"DEI," the group argued, "is not merely confined to specific courses ... While not every course is overtly DEI-themed, there are unmistakable options with DEI focus that satisfy general education requirements. This nuanced integration of DEI principles underscores a broader issue within academia, where DEI has become a fundamental aspect shaping the educational experience for students."

In compiling their report, researchers screened courses for terms such as "equity; Social justice, activism, liberation; Power, power structures, intersectionality; Race, racism, and antiracism, systemic racism, institutional racism, white supremacy, white guilt, white fragility, white responsibility, critical race theory, black power, black liberation; Marxism, privilege, class, socioeconomic status, inequality; Sex, sexuality, sexual orientation LGBTQ+, queer, gender, critical gender theory; Feminism, toxic masculinity, male privilege, misogyny, gender roles; Minority, marginalized, disenfranchised studies; Ableism; Bias, implicit bias."

"We call on legislators, educators, students, and parents to join us in abolishing DEI graduation requirements," Speech First Executive Director Cherise Trump said. "Our proposed measures include prohibiting mandatory ideological courses, ensuring instruction in constitutional principles, and emphasizing the importance of free speech in orientation programs."