Western Carolina University announced Friday that its Office of Intercultural Affairs (ICA) is closed “effective immediately.”
A statement from Chancellor Kelli Brown explained that the decision was a “restructuring of student support services to better align with the UNC System Policy on Equality.”
The Office of Intercultural Affairs has been a part of WCU for a decade. The office was created as a merger of WCU’s Women’s Center and the Office of Multicultural Affairs to “help foster a campus environment where students from different backgrounds and cultural groups can feel appreciated, respected and valued,” stated a 2020 press release from WCU.
The office held programs around LatinX / Hispanic Heritage Month and Lunar New Year, and organized a Black History 101 Mobile Museum, according to WCU's 2023-2024 annual report.
This decision comes as the university is under investigation from the federal Department of Education for violations to updated Title XI policy and was recently targeted in an undercover video published by a conservative activist organization, alleging DEI activities are ongoing despite system policy changes.
WCU said that there was a review of how student support is provided before the closure of ICA.
In May 2024, the UNC Board of Governors passed a policy change aimed at eliminating or reducing DEI programs and personnel on all 16 UNC system campuses.
“This decision has been made to provide clarity and consistency in how WCU offers student support in compliance with the UNC System Policy on Equality within the University of North Carolina,” WCU Chancellor Kelli Brown said in an email to students and staff.
WCU said three vacant ICA positions will be eliminated and that “resources previously allocated to ICA will be redirected to campus initiatives that support student success and UNC performance goals.”
“WCU remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment and ensuring all students have access to meaningful support,” WCU spokesperson Julia Duvall said in an email.
Some students and community members have taken to social media to decry the decision. The Trans+ Student Union shared a statement Sunday on Instagram calling the decision “devastating.”
“The Trans+ Student Union is extremely disturbed by this sudden and unexpected news. As we grieve the loss of one of the most accessible safe spaces on campus for queer students, we are still without clarity as to why this closure occurred,” the statement said.
