Drop DEI at W&L
Washington and Lee University used to describe itself as a “place like no other,” defined solely by the excellent qualities of our unique and incomparable namesakes. But recent initiatives orchestrated by the university administration show that our alma mater has caved to the progressive ideologies of academia.
Let us be clear, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) initiatives at Washington and Lee University are little more than a discriminatory money trap. Tuition better spent on hiring new professors, improving scholarship opportunities, or facilitating civil discourse programs is instead thrown down the gutter of an insatiable administrational bureaucracy.
New positions like “Assistant Director of Inclusion and Engagement” and “Associate Dean for Law Student Affairs, Community, and Belonging” fill the halls of Washington and Lee’s campus, requiring the university to erect new facilities throughout Lexington: not to strengthen academic programming, but to, in the university’s own words, “improve access [and] foster community.”
The university may pretend these new buildings and positions are for the benefit of the students, but have past students ever bemoaned the lack of an “Associate Dean for Belonging”? What about classes? Are students flocking to courses on “queerness” and “feminist philosophy”? Our research, included below, suggests otherwise.
The simple reality is that Washington and Lee University’s curriculum, bureaucracy, and development initiatives all revolve around DEI.
We erected the billboard pictured above to grab the university’s attention. We hope they will, in the spirit of civil discourse and intellectual curiosity, further engage with The Generals Redoubt and our alumni followers. We would love to share our views on what will make Washington and Lee once again, “a place like no other.”
But we have brought more than a billboard to the conversation. Over the last couple months, TGR has conducted significant, and ongoing, research into the fabric of “DEI” at W&L.
Of the 105 administrative staff at Washington and Lee, 13.3% of them are engaged in DEI work. Meanwhile, 9.1% of all assistant professors at W&L are involved in DEI-related committees and similar work. This may seem like a relatively small fraction of the university’s activities, but then you look at the coursework offered over the last two years.
The document linked below includes 70 courses that are rooted in DEI subjects. Some classes may be quite popular and arguably have a place in Washington and Lee instruction. But can that be said for all of them? Here’s a couple of offerings from the full, 30-page list:
HIST 195F – Transgender History
“This course introduces the historical method by using transness as the central lens through which we investigate the past, with a focus on the twentieth-century. Students will analyze works by transgender and intersex authors, as well as research, write, and present on topics related to twentieth-century U.S. history.”
Offered in Fall 2024 by Professor Samantha Rosenthal
Total Enrollment: 7/10
WGSS 295B - Topics: Queer Space: From Bookstores to Ballroom
“This class examines how queer people and their allies build spaces that celebrate LGBTQIA+ identities. By watching documentaries, reading first-person accounts, inspecting archival materials, and analyzing representations of queer culture in film, television, and popular music, students will explore the diversity of queer space and the long history of efforts to create—and protect—affirming queer communities. Students will also meet with community leaders creating and preserving queer space through zoom workshops and a two-night trip to Washington, D.C. Course topics include: queerness in the domestic sphere, nightlife and party cultures, sports and leisure activities, activist legacies, the disappearance of queer spaces, and the recovery of queer history.”
Offered in Spring 2025 and Spring 2024 by Professor Kate Grover
Total Enrollment: 10/16 (2025), 7/16 (2024)
These are the courses that rising tuition costs fund. Enough is enough. It’s time to Drop DEI at W&L!
Links for further research:
DEI Personnel at W&L: https://www.thegeneralsredoubt.us/new-research/dei-personnel-at-washington-and-lee-2025
DEI Course Offerings 2023-25: https://www.thegeneralsredoubt.us/s/WL-DEI-Classes-2023-25.pdf
Sincerely,
Steve W. Robinson, ’72, ‘75L
President, The Generals Redoubt