An Arizona State University (ASU) professor is suing the university because he considers a required Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) course for faculty to be “racist,” but he is not considering legal action. He spoke to FOX News Digital about his decision to wake up. his employer.
Dr. Owen Anderson, a professor of philosophy, religious studies, and theology at ASU, has been accused of violating a two-year-old state law barring public sector activities, with the help of the conservative nonprofit Goldwater Institute. He is suing the school. Prohibits requiring employees to participate in training that results in “blaming or judgment based on race, ethnicity, or gender.”
Anderson, who has taught at ASU for 21 years and is still employed by the university, received an email in November 2022 about a required “Inclusive Communities” course and must complete it by the deadline. A deadline was given.
“I looked at the material and it was very disturbing,” he told Fox News Digital. “What I mean is, it’s not just multiculturalism. In workplaces like ASU, we have to make sure that employees are aware of how they work with people who disagree with them and with people from different backgrounds. I think it makes a lot of sense to do staff training, so it makes a lot of sense because this is a big place and we need to know how to work together.”
ASU Professor Owen Anderson (Owen Anderson)
“But this specifically divides people into races and holds them accountable based on the color of their skin, which I think is in direct violation of Arizona law and is also the essence of racism. ” he added.
According to a press release, Anderson could face disciplinary action from her superiors for refusing to participate in DEI training. goldwater institute.
complaint The training “forces public servants to speak out by requiring faculty to take a post-training exam that presents forms of racial, ethnic, and gender-based blame and judgment, and to answer with Arizona State University’s ‘correct answer.’ ”, it claims that it discriminates against the government. She responded that it violates the Arizona Constitution. ”
The training, titled “ASU’s Inclusive Community,” teaches faculty and staff about “white supremacy.” [is] “Sexual identity is tied to power, and heterosexuality, the primary sexual identity in American culture, is privileged with little questioning,” and asking people where they’re from or commenting on them. “Seemingly innocuous questions or comments” about hair, according to the complaint, could be considered “racist.”
This course also covers how to “critique whiteness” and other topics such as “white privilege.” “White fragility.” and the need for “transformative justice.”
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After training, teachers will reportedly be required to take a test, and if they fail to provide answers that ASU considers “correct,” they will be reported to the dean of instruction.
Mr Anderson said a key part of the objection to the course was the required quizzes, which “require you to write an answer that suggests you agree with the content”. Another question, he said, was, “Which areas of the university should DEI impact?” He had four options, and the correct answer was “all fields of the university.”
Dr. Owen Anderson talks about PragerU (Owen Anderson)
“So to pass that quiz you have to agree that DEI should impact every area of the university, which I don’t agree with. So this also counts as forced speech. ” he said. “Employers can’t make employees say things they don’t agree with. That’s why I said this goes beyond what I’ve seen in the past and is now in violation of state law.”
Anderson said she felt it was important to speak out against the training because she is “against any kind of racism.”
“I agree with Martin Luther King Jr. that we should not judge people based on their skin color or race. “It is against my conscience to be made to do so,” he said. “I had to say, ‘I can’t take that class, and it’s not something that should be provided with state money.'”
Arizona State University cancels events attended by representatives.Rashida Tlaib
“People are starting to realize that [DEI] What is that?” he added. “Because the important thing for readers to understand is that this is not multiculturalism. This is not telling people how to get along with each other in the workplace. It’s all about That’s great. This is blaming people for their race, especially their skin color, and that’s racism.”
An ASU spokesperson told FOX News Digital that ASU complies with state law ARS 14-1494 and provides inclusive community training to employees that “promotes an environment that respects all backgrounds, beliefs, and life experiences.” He said he is aiming for
“The lawsuit brought by the Goldwater Institute regarding Arizona State University’s diversity is false and without merit,” the ASU spokesperson added.
“ASU trains all faculty based on our charter’s commitment to inclusivity and success for students from all walks of life,” the spokesperson said. “The Goldwater Institute lawsuit misleads the court and misrepresents both the content and requirements of this training in order to make arguments representative of political viewpoints, but not based on law. ASU “We remain committed to providing a supportive and welcoming educational environment for students with disabilities, and the University will respond appropriately to the Institute’s tactics.”
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arizona state university logo (AP)
Anderson said he agrees 100% with ASU’s charter, which aims to promote an inclusive work environment, “but people can read the Goldwater Institute’s filing for themselves, and its claims are I think people will understand that you’re going above and beyond the ASU charter and condemning people for their race. ”
Anderson also emphasized that the “state college idea” is an important factor to consider because it “provides an affordable college education to parents and students.”
“It’s very important that state universities remain ideologically and politically neutral. That’s another important issue that’s going on here. If state universities are pushing one political cause… If so, the university is not really serving the entire community,” he said. Added.
In August, University of Arizona SystemCompanies, including ASU, have announced that they will no longer require diversity, equity and inclusion statements in their hiring practices.
fox news digital previously reported Up to 80% of faculty job openings at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University require applicants to support equity and inclusion efforts through a “diversity statement,” according to a Goldwater Institute report. He was asked to make an oath.
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These requirements have sometimes required applicants to replace their traditional cover letter with the following cover letter: DEI statementCandidates were now required to submit “up to two pages of detailed information about their DEI system activities and initiatives.”
Arizona joins Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina in eliminating DEI statement requirements in recent years.
