“They Don’t Know What Their Futures Look Like”: Faculty Senate Flags DEI Staff Uncertainty

 For the record, no one has been fired.

During the meeting, a Faculty Senate member raised concerns about the impact of the ongoing DEI restructuring on employees:

“I understand that there are many things you can't say with ongoing discussions about the DEI office. I also know of people in that office who don't know what their futures look like.”

The professor asked whether there was any way to offer support to those affected by the uncertainty.

Jim Ryan acknowledged the concern, calling it “a very good point” and admitted the situation has been “slightly frustrating with this delay.” He noted that he has been working closely with Kevin McDonald (Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships):

“Kevin McDonald is fully aware and has been super helpful throughout. And is communicating with his [team] on this.”

McDonald is now listed as “Principal investigator” of the Virginia-North Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation. The Alliance Office is located in Washington Hall, still described on the web page as the “Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”

Jim Bacon highlighted how many other DEI Staffers have simply been scrubbed from public websites but remain in UVA Public People Search with the same title and DEI-office affiliation. For more on this, see Jim’s article, DEI: a 30-Day Update.