Requiring would-be professors to swear allegiance to a political ideology is a free-speech violation, charges a lawsuit filed in May. John D. Haltigan applied to teach psychology at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He had to submit a “diversity, equity and inclusion ” (DEI) statement, which the suit compares to loyalty oaths required of faculty members during the Red Scare of the ’50s.
Haltigan posted his DEI statement online. It started:
I am committed to colorblind inclusivity, viewpoint diversity, merit-based evaluation, and value outreach to underrepresented groups in higher education. Across all of my teaching and mentorship, I have endeavored to treat students and mentees equally, without regard to identity-based characteristics.