UNC Board now prohibits asking potential students and employees about personal beliefs
The UNC Board of Governors on Thursday unanimously approved a policy that prevents any of its schools from asking applicants about personal political beliefs when they apply for admission or employment.
The board backed the change to its policy manual without discussion and by unanimous vote, but it is not clear that any campuses in the UNC system are doing what is now prohibited.
Until recently, N.C. State University had included this question on its undergraduate application:
“NC State University is committed to building a just and inclusive community, one that does not tolerate unjust or inhumane treatment, and that denounces it, clearly and loudly. Please describe what those words mean to you and how you will contribute to a more diverse and inclusive NC State environment.”
Mick Kulikowski, spokesman for the university, confirmed Wednesday that the question will not be required in the future. It became a requirement for the 2021 admissions cycle.
“The question speaks for itself,” he said in an email Wednesday. “It asks that students reflect upon building an equitable and inclusive environment at NC State. We aren’t aware of any concerns expressed by applicants or the campus community, and in fact, NC State continues to see record applications year after year, including more applications from North Carolina students than any other North Carolina university.”
But N.C. State had drawn criticism for the question earlier in February from Carolina Partnership for Reform, a group that describes itself as “advocates for a freedom and prosperity agenda.”
In a Feb. 14 post, the group singled out N.C. State as the only school in the UNC system requiring a DEI statement, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion.
The partnership wrote that it thinks two problems can arise: admissions officers will demand “intellectual conformity” and exclude students who reject social justice or critical theory and it forces students to fake their own acceptance of an idea that “oozes from every word.”
“In our view,” it read, “there are plenty of other ways N.C. State can weed out actual white supremacists from its applicant pool if that is truly their goal.”
Kulikowski said Wednesday that N.C. State is aware of dialogue outside the university and will keep its commitment to diversity as that conversation continues.
The N&O requested comment from members of the faculty senate and a dean for DEI but did not get a response.
Last month, a UNC System board committee began considering the policy that would bar questions requiring applicants “to affirmatively ascribe to or opine about beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles regarding matters of contemporary political debate or social action as a condition to admission, employment, or professional advancement.”
At that committee meeting, UNC System President Peter Hans said, “We do not condition employment or enrollment on adherence to any set of beliefs, no matter how well intended.”
He added at the time that no particular event led to the policy change.
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 12:48 PM with the headline "UNC Board now prohibits asking potential students and employees about personal beliefs."