{"id":3281,"date":"2026-06-26T10:07:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3281"},"modified":"2026-06-26T10:07:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:07:58","slug":"new-nc-law-tightens-campus-dei-bans-placing-new-limits-on-divisive-concepts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3281","title":{"rendered":"New NC law tightens campus DEI bans, placing new limits on \u2018divisive concepts\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

A new North Carolina law<\/a>, enshrined Wednesday, cements existing bans on diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the state\u2019s public universities and community colleges.<\/p>\n

Read more Raleigh held its first Pride parade in 1988. Take a look back at photos from that day.<\/a><\/p>\n

It also bars the promotion of \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d at the state\u2019s public universities and community colleges. Though N.C. Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, previously vetoed the bill, Republican lawmakers overrode that effort Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The new law also outlaws campuses from having any formal process to report or investigate offensive speech protected by the First Amendment, \u201cincluding satire or speech labeled as microaggression.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UNC System already has a DEI ban in place. In 2024, it replaced its policies mandating DEI practices with an Equality Policy<\/a> that requires institutional neutrality \u2014 meaning campuses should avoid taking positions on matters of \u201csocial policy\u201d or \u201cpolitical controversies of the day.\u201d After the Equality Policy took effect, dozens of DEI-related jobs and programs were eliminated across the UNC System.<\/p>\n

Now, much of that System policy is law. But the law also extends beyond the policy.<\/p>\n

Woody White, a Wilmington lawyer and member of the UNC System\u2019s Board of Governors who helped refine the System\u2019s existing anti-DEI policy, told The News & Observer that the new law \u201capplies \u2014 in different, broader ways \u2014 than does the [Board of Governors\u2019] neutrality policy that the [Board] passed in 2024, and it is yet to be seen to what extent they will interact with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new law will require the Board of Governors to adopt a new policy, he said.<\/p>\n

The law prohibits colleges from compelling students and staff to affirm belief in \u201cdivisive concepts,\u201d and it bars colleges from requiring a course on those concepts for a degree \u2014 unless a chancellor specifically approves it. Classroom instruction on these concepts is permitted as long as its clear the college is not endorsing them.<\/p>\n

Those \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d include ideas like the inherent superiority of one race or sex and the denial of equal protection under the law, along with concepts such as:<\/p>\n

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The law prohibits colleges from maintaining an office based on those concepts and from employing anyone whose duties include promoting them.<\/p>\n

At the state House Wednesday, House Majority Leader Brenden Jones said universities should teach students \u201chow to think,\u201d not \u201crequir[e] them to repeat political doctrine,\u201d The N&O reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

State law already bans<\/a> the promotion of these concepts in state government workplaces.<\/p>\n

The new prohibition on reporting processes or investigations into \u201coffensive or unwanted speech … including satire or speech labeled as microaggression\u201d comes after a series of high-profile incidents at UNC-Chapel Hill this spring.<\/p>\n

After late-night-style campus sketch comedy group Hill After Hours posted a video<\/a> many considered offensive, the university announced it was investigating<\/a> the registered student organization. However, after the Foundation for Individual Rights and Free Expression called on UNC<\/a> to halt that investigation, the school said that no such investigation was underway.<\/p>\n

UNC also issued a statement on the student newspaper\u2019s April Fools\u2019 edition<\/a>, which included a satirical article about Immigration and Customs Enforcement coming to Chapel Hill, among other stories that drew widespread criticism. \u201cThe articles published on April 1 were highly inappropriate and offensive…. while the pieces were meant to represent satire, they were harmful and we unequivocally condemn them,\u201d James Orr, senior vice provost for student success, wrote in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n

Republican lawmakers also overrode gubernatorial vetoes on DEI bans in K-12 schools and local government<\/a> Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 2:43 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new North Carolina law bans DEI programs and limits reporting of so-called microaggressions at public universities and community colleges, affecting UNC campuses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nNew NC law tightens campus DEI bans, placing new limits on \u2018divisive concepts\u2019 - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3281\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New NC law tightens campus DEI bans, placing new limits on \u2018divisive concepts\u2019 - 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