Rutgers University has drawn the ire of New Jersey politicians for cancelling a scheduled Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) conference following President Donald Trump’s executive orders on DEI this week.
“We have been asked to cease all work under the auspices of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility HUB at Jobs for the Future, which the U.S. Department of Labor funds,” Rutgers said on Thursday in an email to registered attendees for the canceled Jan. 30 “HBCUs and Registered Apprenticeship Mini-Conference.”
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, both Democratic candidates for governor, took to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday to denounce the university’s decision.
“Rutgers, and any other schools preemptively pulling DEI programming, is an utter failure of courage in the face of political foolishness,” Baraka posted. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords — they are proven strategies that make our workplaces more productive, our students more learned, and our economy stronger and more stable.”
Baraka calling Trump a “bully,” wrote: “I call on all private sector partners, responsible corporations, and those who believe in democracy to stand with our institutions against the threat of defunding.”
Fulop agreed with his fellow Democrat posting “now is no time to cower to bullies.”
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He was also critical of the university’s leadership, writing: “Rutgers as an institution has fostered a bully culture for a few years now. One that targets employees with institutional knowledge and memory, which does a disservice to the students. Look no further than the most recent additions to the Board as where the worst of NJ politics and higher education intertwine…”
He pledged that if elected governor: “I will end the university’s bend toward corporate interests and machine favors, and I will nominate retired professors and staff to serve as members of the Board of Governors.”
Others were also critical of Rutgers’ decision to cancel the conference.
“The capitulation continues. These ill-conceived moves are pushing American higher education backwards. We must fight back,” the American Association of University Professors posted.
Trump signed two executive orders this week relating to DEI.
On Monday, he signed “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” which among other things called for the government to terminate “all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government.”
On Tuesday, Trump issued “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which claims that the “Federal Government, major corporations, financial institutions, the medical industry, large commercial airlines, law enforcement agencies, and institutions of higher education have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) or “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation.”
The order calls on “all executive departments and agencies to terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders, and requirements.”
