USC begins scrubbing DEI references from websites

References to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are quietly disappearing from USC websites.

Some of the removals were initiated as recently as last week, based on date comparisons in the Internet Archive. All occurred after Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the start of an onslaught against what the U.S. Department of Education has called “divisive ideology in our schools.”

An Annenberg webpage formerly titled “Diversity and Inclusion” now reads “Mission and Vision.” References to culture-specific student news outlets like Black., Dímelo, and elevASIAN are gone.

A School of Cinematic Arts webpage that last week was titled “Diversity & Inclusion” now reads “Culture & Community.”

Lines that once promised to “promote institutional support for advocacy/activism at all levels” and “recruit and retain diverse students, faculty and staff” are now deleted with no comparable substitutions.

The Leonard Davis School of Gerontology’s formerly comprehensive DEI page now redirects to a “Diversity Day 2020” event listing.

Roski’s “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” page now returns a 404 error.

The School of Dramatic Arts renamed its “Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” to the “Sparks Center for Community & Culture.”

Notably, the Office of Inclusion and Diversity’s site appears untouched. Many of the university’s most prominent schools including Dornsife, Viterbi, Marshall, and Keck continue to feature DEI references.

“We are reviewing our programs and practices to ensure they reflect our academic mission and our commitment to a community of belonging,” a USC spokesperson wrote in a statement.

The spokesperson did not answer questions about whether the webpage removals were ordered by central administration or individual schools.

Tomo Chien can be reached at [email protected].