On April 25, Dartmouth had removed its main diversity and inclusion web page from its website. The College restored the website later that day.
College spokesperson Kathryn Kennedy wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth that the web page was taken down “temporarily as part of a broader review of Dartmouth websites aimed at ensuring our compliance with the law is clear.” The site would be “republished again soon” after the College makes “a few small” changes to its content.
“Any changes will simply reflect that we do not practice illegal DEI at Dartmouth, and our programs have consistently been open to all,” she wrote.
The College declined to comment on whether the page changed.
Since the beginning of his second presidential term, President Donald Trump has signed numerous executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in educational institutions that receive federal funding. In response, other institutions have eliminated or made changes to their programs. Columbia University altered or removed DEI statements on university web pages, while the University of Michigan suspended all DEI programs. At Dartmouth, students have raised concerns about the lack of communication on the future of diversity programs at the College.
The College’s diversity and inclusion web page previously featured quotes from senior vice president and senior diversity officer Shontay Delalue and a video of Delalue explaining the College’s plans for strengthening diversity, according to screenshots The Dartmouth took in March.
The web page for the Division of Institutional Diversity and Equity is still available and states that the office is “dedicated to the collaborative implementation of an institutional strategic vision for diversity, equity and inclusion at Dartmouth.”
“Dartmouth remains fundamentally committed to building an inclusive and welcoming community of faculty, students and staff, which is essential to maintaining our academic excellence,” Kennedy wrote.
Update Appended (Saturday, April 26 10:10 a.m.): This article was updated to reflect the fact that the College restored the website.
