This year, Housing and Residence Life has eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion and multicultural training for resident advisors, according to anonymous resident staff. In addition, HRL’s Committee on Multiculturalism has been absorbed by the Resident Staff Engagement Committee without any formal announcement to resident staff. These changes follow national mandates to dissolve DEI programs and pressure on the University from the Justice Department to comply with federal law prohibiting these programs.
Resident staff began their annual Orientation Week, also known as “O-Week” — a training period that aims to prepare them for their roles — in early August. During O-Week, resident advisors go through different training modules, such as “Intro to Safe Grounds” or “Emergency Management.”
Alongside these modules, RAs and SRs also went through multicultural and DEI-adjacent training in 2024, such as modules titled “Inclusivity in Your Hall” and “DEI Resources.” according to former resident staff. This training was not covered this past O-Week, according to a training calendar which was provided to The Cavalier Daily by a resident advisor.
An anonymous RA confirmed that DEI training was not a focus this year.
“In the past, we had a big emphasis on DEI … But as far as I can tell, there has not been much discussion of diversity and inclusivity,” the RA said.
Deputy University Spokesperson Bethanie Glover explained that resident staff training is updated to abide by University policies annually.
“Ahead of each academic year, housing and resident staff review and update the Resident Staff Training Program, in accordance with departmental and University policies,” Glover said.
In contrast to previous years, training sessions did not mention multicultural organizations on Grounds, such as the Office of African-American Affairs, according to an anonymous SR.
This SR expressed her concern about the changing residence experience at the University, noting that fewer trainings and resources related to DEI may make it more challenging for residential leadership to connect with their residents.
“I think what is important as a resident, is expanding your own worldview and getting to understand others' backgrounds in a way that's more intentional. That might be happening less which is a bit concerning,” the SR said.
According to the anonymous resident staff, in addition to the change in training, HRL has also removed the previous requirement that RAs host at least one “Inclusion and Belonging” event each semester. These events typically highlighted multicultural holidays or created intentional spaces for residents of diverse backgrounds to connect — while RAs are still permitted to host DEI-focused events, there has been no formal encouragement or guidance from HRL this year.
This requirement has now been replaced with a new category — “Celebration and Togetherness.” Unlike its predecessor, this category does not focus specifically on multicultural events or diversity, nor is it mandatory for RAs to organize a program under it. Previously, RAs had access to a designated fund for Inclusion and Belonging events, which helped cover costs for decorations or foods. This year, according to anonymous resident staff, it remains unclear whether any funding will be allocated for “Celebration and Togetherness” events.
Without the required multicultural events, the SR is worried that DEI will be skipped entirely in residence halls.
“What I do worry about is that without required reflection on DEI, it can be really easy for a hall to avoid that topic, whether intentionally or unintentionally,” the SR said.
Mayna Malhotra, RA and third-year College student, explained why she believes DEI-focused training is important.
“I feel like DEI really helped a lot of my residents feel safe. And I feel like it's very, very important for all RAs to include in programming or just in their [leadership] as an RA,” Malhotra said. “One of my main goals was to make sure that every single one of my residents felt safe and accepted with me, at least because there's a lot of bias and racism and hardships that residents will face at this University.”
Training and event requirements are not the only new changes — a Committee on Multiculturalism which assisted RAs and HRL in hosting multicultural events, has been absorbed by another resident staff committee. In a former COM newsletter shared with The Cavalier Daily by an SR, the committee described their purpose.
“[COM] equips Resident Staff with the resources to plan impactful programs, address key issues within and beyond their communities, and deepen their understanding of multiculturalism,” the newsletter read. “COM also fosters connections between diverse University groups and Resident Staff, promoting a sense of belonging for all.”
Resident staff could join and hold positions on COM, and COM also helped to provide funding to staff for DEI and multicultural events.
The committee is not featured on HRL’s website, and, according to anonymous resident staff, members were not notified of the change to its status. Shylan Scott, associate dean of students and director of residence life, clarified that COM was not disbanded, but rather integrated into a broader committee structure.
“Resident staff leadership adjusted the resident staff committee structure, which resulted in the Committee on Multiculturalism and the Committee on Sustainability being absorbed by the Resident Staff Engagement Committee,” Scott said. “This adjusted structure was shared with resident staff during Orientation Week.”
These changes to resident staff trainings follow pressure from the Justice Department over the University’s DEI practices, which led to former University President Jim Ryan’s resignation. The University’s legal counsel is also in the process of conducting a compliance review to ensure all programs adhere to federal and state law, to be completed by Friday.
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