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> The university asked him to fill out the requisite papers, including a statement that affirmed his belief and work in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Affirm that you believe in and will comply with our religion. That's bold. Is that even something explicitly religious colleges do? "Sign here to affirm your belief and work in Catholicism"?

What a strange time we live in.

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> At Berkeley, a faculty committee rejected 75 percent of applicants in life sciences and environmental sciences and management purely on diversity statements, according to a new academic paper by Steven Brint, a professor of public policy at U.C. Riverside, and Komi Frey, a researcher for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which has opposed diversity statements.

75% of applicants are rejected because of their statements. That's a very impactful section of the application.

Depending on the wording, these DEI statements may be legally actionable as religious discrimination. “I agree to follow applicable federal and state non-discrimination laws” is probably fine. But requiring any “affirmation” beyond that is almost certainly infringing on freedom of conscience and the rights of adherents of religions that believe in e.g. procreation as the basis of sexual relations.

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