A Step Toward Smaller Government?
You know how your kitchen junk drawer gets so full you can’t find anything? That’s what Nevada’s higher education rulebook had become. Six hundred pages of rules and regulations.
The Board of Regents voted 12-to-1 to remove something called the IDEA Council from their official governing documents. IDEA stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access. This council has been in charge of diversity programs across Nevada’s seven public colleges and universities.
What This Really Means
Chancellor Matt McNair says this is just housekeeping. He’s trying to clean up that 600-page monster of a handbook. The council still exists. It’s just not written into the official rules anymore. Think of it like this: your neighborhood watch group might still meet every month, but it doesn’t need to be in the city charter.
“I’ll tell you what this is and what it’s not,” McNair told the board.
“What it is, is an effort to clean up the code and what is not, is an effort to minimize the importance of any of the issues that these councils have addressed in the past.”
But here’s where it gets interesting. This comes right when the Trump administration has been taking a hard look at diversity programs in colleges. They’re threatening to pull federal funding from schools with certain diversity initiatives. They’re even launching investigations into schools with minority programs.
Why Conservatives Are Paying Attention
For folks who believe in limited government, this looks like a step in the right direction. Why should a diversity council be written into law? If colleges want these programs, they can have them without making them mandatory in a 600-page rulebook.
The numbers tell an interesting story. More than 60 percent of Nevada’s 105,000 college students belong to what the system calls “historically minoritized” groups. That’s a lot of students. But the question many conservatives ask is simple. Do we need government-mandated councils to help these students succeed? Or can colleges figure this out on their own?
Several Nevada colleges have already been restructuring their diversity programs. UNLV announced changes to its diversity initiatives earlier this month. Nevada State University eliminated its diversity office back in May. These schools are making their own choices without being told what to do by a massive handbook.
What Critics Are Saying
Not everyone’s happy about this change. Regent Amy Carvalho was the only vote against it. She worries about the message this sends.
She said during the meeting:
“I’m just concerned that the perception of doing this at this time may create a message that is a bit unintended.”
Faculty at UNLV wrote a letter supporting diversity programs. Groups like the NAACP Las Vegas and Battle Born Progress have spoken out against removing these councils from the official rules.
Carvalho mentioned that some students are worried about their safety on campus. She talked about transgender, Jewish, and Hispanic students who feel uncertain in the current political climate.
Looking Ahead
This might be just the beginning. During the meeting, Chancellor McNair hinted that the council might eventually be eliminated entirely, saying:
“We may get rid of it eventually once we get through this first phase,”
But he also promised to keep meeting with council members.
The board also removed two other councils from the handbook. The Public Safety Council and Business Officers Council. All part of making that handbook shorter and simpler.
For conservatives who want to see this trend continue, here’s what you can do. Contact your local regent. Let them know you support streamlining government and cutting unnecessary regulations. Show up to board meetings. Your voice matters in these decisions.
Watch what happens at your local colleges. Are they making smart choices without being forced by government rules? That’s the free market at work in education.
This Nevada story might spread to other states. As colleges face pressure from the Trump administration about diversity programs, more states might follow Nevada’s lead. They might keep the programs but remove them from official government documents.
The big question is simple. Can colleges serve all their students well without government-mandated diversity councils? Nevada’s about to find out. And the rest of the country is watching.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
