On March 25, 2025, over 1,200 Virginia Tech students attended a protest in opposition to the Board of Visitors’ recent decision to dissolve DEI initiatives at Virginia Tech. Following a threat of losing federal funding in a “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education, Virginia universities have been removing their DEI programs one by one—it was only a matter of time before Virginia Tech fell complicit.
From the Board of Visitors themselves, this decision “includes, but is not limited to: admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” Tristan Reeves—a student, DEI ambassador, and Compliance and Policy Intern—said to the WDBJ reporters at the protest, “These are the individuals that they say they’re supporting, but they’re out here on these steps to protest your decision.” It’s clear that change needs to happen, and the protest was a great start. But this is only the beginning.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sarandon Elliott, a UVA alumna who has worked as a community organizer and currently works as a liaison for Councilwoman Kenya Gibson. We spoke about the importance of collective work, and how organizing can create movements that can produce lasting change. “There are no shortcuts in organizing,” Sarandon says. “There’s no way to get around the really hard work that is talking to your neighbors, talking to your friends, talking to your coworkers, talking to complete strangers about ‘yeah, shits really fucked up’.” On a larger scale, this could look like joining organizations like the Democratic Socialists of America. On the local level, Virginia Tech students are taking the initiative by creating resources to support the individuals and groups who are affected by the removal of DEI programs.
Currently, Tristan Reeves and other student leaders are working with local nonprofits to gather information and funds to support students through this transition into a DEI absent campus. While our student leaders work to create safe spaces for students, there are actions we can take as individuals to support DEI efforts around campus. This petition sign up, which is nearing 2,000 signatures thus far, is a great way to get connected and support DEI advocacy.
Regarding upcoming protests, know your rights and get involved! From the ACLU and Equality VA:
- This Protesters’ Rights Guide from ACLU National covers rights around organizing and permitting, attending, taking photo/video, and police interactions at protests – and next steps if those rights are violated.
- This Speech on Campus FAQ, also from the ACLU, details common questions around the limits and depth of free speech rights on college campuses in the U.S. It’s a little less comprehensive, but still has some good pieces of information.
- The National Lawyers Guild has a Know Your Rights for Campus Protests resource that includes information about assessing risk, examples of actions with different levels of risk, considerations for when campus police, the administration, or the media/broader community responds, digital security protections, and overall best practices.
I’ll leave you with a final quote from Sarandon Elliott: “This is a really scary time. I think this is going to be a time that really puts our values to the test. Bernie Sanders said it best the other day, ‘This is no time for despair.’ I just really want to encourage people, especially young people, to get involved in something. Don’t put your head in the sand and pretend like it’s not happening. It’s going to take all of us to fight back against what’s happening right now in our country.”