With the news coming out yesterday of pro-Palestinian (read: Pro-Hamas) protestors occupying the administrative building at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, now seems like a good time to revisit exactly how much UMich spends of their students parents money (and of Michigan and Federal taxpayer money) on maintaining the massive DEI apparatus that keeps these sorts of things happening to them. Want to guess how much they spend? If you guessed ‘a whole whole lot’ come on up and collect your prize.
The University of Michigan spent $18M on 142 DEI bureaucrats last academic year, according to @Mark_J_Perry: https://t.co/WVTdmBPhfm pic.twitter.com/iI2hgwQurQ
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) November 18, 2023
That’s right, $18 million per academic year. You can get more details on what that amounts to on a per-student basis from the original tweet from January that economist Michael J. Perry put out:
@UMich now employs 142 “diversicrats” at an annual cost of $18M (total compensation) = in-state tuition for 1,075 students. Highest paid diversicrat is Tabbye Sellers @$380K+fringe benefits. Avg. = $97K and 44 make > $100K + fringe benefits. 10 years ago, UM diversicrats<20. pic.twitter.com/xU1PISR8Br
— Mark J. Perry (@Mark_J_Perry) January 5, 2023
Now the University of Michigan boasts a student population of 51,225 so we guess they can afford the money but still… that’s a lot of money. And it’s hard to argue that the enabling of these people on the University payroll can’t be linked to one degree or another to the massive grievance mob that invaded their own administrative sanctum sanctorum. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!
What could these people possibly be doing that justifies this much money being sent their way. These schools are throwing their students’ tuition money away.
— Ken Tenma (@kenetenma) November 18, 2023
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Hard to imagine the justification, apparently hiring more campus security staff would have been a better move with the money but it seems that their priorities lay elsewhere.
That’s where your tuition money is going.
— Really Not Nina (@NinaMinister) November 18, 2023
It’s weird that students and parents are okay with financing a jobs program for race Marxists.
— Kralik (@earlkralik) November 18, 2023
People who react to this list with comments about bureaucracy or “grift” are missing the point…. DEI isn’t feather bedding, make-work jobs, etc.
DEI has a purpose; it exists to enforce the racial politics of the Left. DEI staffers are a key part of the Left’s nomenklatura.
— George From NY (@GeorgeFromNY1) November 18, 2023
This is an excellent point. We mock these layers of administration at our own risk; they have a use in many revving up students to be the sorts of people who think that this sort of mass action is a good idea is the use.
Assuming UM is an outlier, and the average university only spends half that amount, and further assuming 100 universities… that’s almost one billion dollars/year for DEI salaries.
Without getting to DEI departments and initiatives outside of universities.
— CMITCHELLI (@cmitchelli76) November 18, 2023
Again, the mind boggles.
This is a reminder that Conservatives need to be getting more involved in their students schools and their own alma maters if possible, not less. Colleges and Universities continue to trend in this direction because the cultural incentives to do so outweigh the financial incentives to push back, and so long as that remains the case things are likely to only get worse. If parents and alumni grow more of a backbone we may be able to pass some of it on to school administrators… it’s perhaps a fight worth having.
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