After much fear about the future of DEI at the University of Michigan, in a recent meeting the

Board of Regents did not vote to defund DEI initiatives — for now. Concerns about the fate of

DEI at UM have grown after articles published in the Chronicle of Higher Education and New

York Times were critical about the millions of dollars being spent with supposed negligible

results to show for it.

One of the main examples used in the articles and mentioned by Regent Sarah Hubbard in a

recent Fox News interview, is low Black student enrollment that has hovered around 5%.

According to the Campus Statistics reported by the Office of Budget and Planning, in fall 2022

Black students represented 4.47% of the undergraduate student population, much lower than

the 14.1% of Black people living in Michigan. In fact, Black student enrollment between the

years of 2016-2022 has ranged from 4 – 4.66%.

It is not surprising that Black students are frustrated at these percentages. However, they do

not tell the entire story. Contrary to the perception that DEI efforts have failed Black students,

the fact is that overall Black student enrollment is at an all-time high. Let’s take a closer look

at the numbers.

Read the full article on The Detroit News.