The Philadelphia Inquirer’s liberal columnists will be aghast, upset, perhaps even spittle-flecking outraged at this, but my first reaction was: is the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine — named after a Jooooo, so I’m surprised that Penn’s pro-Hamas cabal hasn’t picketed it — really ending it’s “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs, or is this just taking it out of the front window-box flower planters and bringing it into that part of the house where visitors don’t go?

Penn scrubs diversity initiatives from its website to comply with Trump order

The university’s moves were in stark contrast to other local schools, including Temple and Drexel, though some schools nationally have taken similar steps.

by Susan Snyder | Saturday, February 15, 2025 | 5:00 AM EST

The University of Pennsylvania’s medical school plans to dissolve committees having to do with diversity, equity, and inclusion and any roles that implement such efforts.

That’s what Roy Hamilton, vice dean for inclusion, diversity, and equity at the Perelman School of Medicine, communicated to a group of medical school diversity program leaders at a meeting this week, according to a source who attended but asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.

Really? Retribution for what, talking to a reporter about something that would soon have been made public anyway?

Its websites dealing with diversity also are under review by a university committee and will likely undergo removal or significant modification, the source said. Even the school’s pipeline programs that bring candidates from diverse backgrounds into the medical school for programming will be evaluated to be sure they do not discriminate against anyone, including nonminorities. Those programs also could be changed or dissolved, the source said.

That move represented one action Penn is taking to respond to President Donald Trump’s executive order threatening funding for colleges that employ diversity efforts. Penn Medicine is far from the only school at the Ivy League university taking such measures. Hamilton told attendees the directives were coming from College Hall, Penn’s main administration building.

The Supreme Court declared Affirmative Action programs which discriminate against non-favored racial and ethnic — read: white and Asian — groups to be illegal in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, declaring what we all knew, that the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment prohibited Affirmative Action using racial preferences in collegiate admissions, so ‘DEI’ programs were always legally suspect. But, good grief, medical schools should be the last place than anything other than merit should be included in admissions decisions.

“I feel like the supposed values of the university and their investment in these efforts has all been a charade, and I feel like the university has no values other than the value of its endowment,” the source said.

Well, now we know the bias reporter Susan Snyder’s anonymous source brought to the table!

They issued a new policy that no longer includes “affirmative action” and also removed a reference that stated the university “values diversity” and that “diversity is prized at Penn,” according to the student newspaper. Instead, it now says Penn’s character “is reflected in the wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of the Penn community.”

“Penn’s character “is reflected in the wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of the Penn community”? Tell me that’s not Affirmative Action and DEI, simply under different names.

J Larry Jameson, the University’s interim President, wrote:

As many of you are aware, President Trump has issued a series of Executive Orders, including one that rescinded Executive Order 11246, as amended, that had required the recipients of federal funds, like Penn, to take affirmative action to promote equal opportunity in employment. As a result, the University has updated its Equal Opportunity Policy and Nondiscrimination Statement. The new policy and statement, which appear below, reflect Penn’s long-standing commitment to values of excellence, freedom of inquiry and expression, and respect. We understand that the revisions to federal laws and regulations can be troubling when they change rapidly. Please know that we remain committed to cultivating a culture that is open-minded and curious, inventive and practical, exhibiting brilliance across fields, imperfect but self-improving, and relentlessly focused on enhancing social good.

“(R)elentlessly focused on enhancing social good”? Yup! Penn is changing the structure of its Affirmative Action/DEI programs, but they’re simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Racially and ethnically discriminatory programs will continue to exist at Penn, just on the down-low.

So, Will Bunch will combitch that Penn is “obeying in advance”, while Helen Ubiñas and Jenice Armstrong will scream loudly, but nothing is really changing: the University will still favor applicants who are not white or Asian, but simply be less honest about it.