Monday, June 12, 2023

State Auditor: State Universities Spend Millions on DEI

State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

A new report released today by State Auditor Shad White shows Mississippi taxpayers how much public universities are spending on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

 

“I have real concerns about what DEI staff may be teaching or doing at our taxpayer-funded universities,” said Auditor White. “For example, during the Trump Administration, President Trump shut down federal government DEI programs because some taught that ‘virtually all White people contribute to racism.’ This kind of language tears us apart, not brings us together.”

 

Overall, Mississippi universities reported spending $23.4 million on DEI from July of 2019 to now.

 

“There have also been allegations that DEI staffers are duplicative of other human resources staff and are therefore a waste of money,” said White. “In light of all this, as a starting point, I thought it was important for taxpayers to know what public universities are spending on DEI.”

 

The self-reported expenditures from the universities reveal a wide range of spending:

 

  • Nearly $11 million of state taxpayer funds went to DEI programs
  • 70% of DEI spending in 2023 was spent on salaries for DEI employees
  • DEI spending has increased 47% since 2019

 

“One unfortunate statistic was the amount of money spent on DEI salaries and the lack of money spent on scholarships,” added White. “If the real goal of DEI was to increase diversity at the universities, one would think more money would be going to scholarships for poor students instead of adults’ paychecks.”

 

The full report can be found here.

  

69 comments:

Anonymous said...

DEI is the stupidest shit ever!!! They need to include an approximate cost on work production. We have to take these stupid classes twice a year when we should be working!

Anonymous said...

DEI staff are slackers who couldn't make a living in the real world. Their only skill is waving the race card around.

Anonymous said...

I just can not wrap my head around why this issue is in Shad's responsibilities. I so wish he would stay in his lane instead of trying to generate issues and headlines. Be the Auditor

Anonymous said...

This DEI concern could easily be applied to most if not all of colleges/universities' spending frameworks. Obscenely bloated administrative salaries that contribute nothing are pervasive. Biggest scam in Mississippi giving these kinds of "education" jobs to bumbling Bubbas & Brendas.

Bill Dees said...

@7:28, amen, brother or sister. DEI spending isn't illegal or unauthorized, so it's none of the business of an auditor. If Shad wants to be a policymaker he should run for governor or the legislature. I'll bet the criticism of policy is an unauthorized activity for the auditor, so any money spent doing that should be recouped by the state. Somebody needs to audit the audit department.

Anonymous said...

@7:28 Finding spending waste and abuse is one of the entire reasons to do audits in the first place. DEI is an absolute waste of money at best and state funded racial discrimination at worst.

Anonymous said...

7:28 - I just cannot wrap my head around why you think this should not be in Shad's responsibilities. He is reporting on how my tax dollars are being spent. I appreciate that.

Anonymous said...

Attn 7:28 Why don’t you look up the definition and responsibilities of the state auditor. YOU and others like you are the problem.

Anonymous said...

I used to not be a racist... however, being told I am one everyday by people that don't work, don't contribute and just suck the govt teet is sure turning me into one.

Anonymous said...

Shad White is the state auditor who did an audit of state money being wasted on this totally unnecessary DEI garbage which is similar in nature to the falsified history of the 1619 Project.

Anonymous said...

Amen, 7:28 AM. I do not see where in Miss. Code Ann. 7-7-211 the State Auditor is empowered to investigate and opine on the curriculum of our public universities. Think what you will about "DEI" and its threat to the Universe, but a 322 page "report" by the State Auditor on the issue is nothing but political grandstanding intended to get the "constituency" all worked up. If the first two comments are any indication, I suspect it will be a smashing success. Homer Stokes would be proud.

Anonymous said...

@7:28 AM, for public universities to be pushing that DEI bullshit, which is a total waste of time, energy and most importantly taxpayer dollars, then I think it is absolutely fair game for the State auditor to look into. DEI is code for CRT, and that does nothing to improve race relations. All it's doing is fanning the few remaining embers of strained race relations.

Anonymous said...

DEI has moved beyond non-profits and educational institutions and state agencies. While you slept, it swept (and continues to sweep) the entire private sector, most notably large corporations.

My group of new and young employees at a particular state agency was required to attend a two week diversity class at MSU within our first year of employment. Back then it was called 'sensitivity training'.

But, we, the new white recruits were encouraged to be sensitive, while it was the black employees and 'customers' who should have been taught to NOT be so damned sensitive.

And, yes...Shad should review his job description and let go of things he has no obligation to investigate and head his ass up to Madison County government and Canton government.

Anonymous said...

@7:28 “be the auditor”…you mean by auditing public institutions to see how public money is being spent?

Anonymous said...

Ok, so take the root cause of the funding away, DEI. 70% of the funding goes to salary. I think the DEI mess is stupid, but let's say the funding is supposed to go to SPED, or teaching some other worthwhile curriculum. 70% to salary? That's insane.

Anonymous said...

@7:28 - It's simple really: he thinks being Desantis will get him his next big job. Just another little shit among many in politics.

Anonymous said...

So this is where all those individuals with college degrees
in Ancient Greek Mythology get their jobs

Anonymous said...

Thank you Mr. I am afraid to go after the big fish and instead investigate things that are outside of my statutory authority. Go get them Shad! Maybe you can next go after Legislature for wasting state taxpayer money by passing laws that are clearly unconstitutional!

Anonymous said...

@7:28

Can you tell me who else is supposed to (or is better suited to) tell you how your tax money is spent than THE STATE AUDITOR?

Perhaps you'd prefer the little old ladies' group from the local Baptist church to commence to "investigating" public spending?

Anonymous said...

I first thought Mississippi was about to get involved with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Anonymous said...

DEi = ESG = cultural marxism

Anonymous said...

What a waste.

Can’t help but wonder how much Mississippi spent on volleyball stadiums during the same time period.

Anonymous said...

DEI

Duplicious Education Idiots-

Anonymous said...

Looks like Delta State is doing it right! U Miss, on the other hand....

Anonymous said...

7:28 - Election year?

Anonymous said...

7:28, he is doing a great job, and exposure of wasteful spending like this is in his job description.

Anonymous said...

DEI teacher >June 12, 2023 at 7:28 AM.

Anonymous said...

7:28 am As the state auditor it IS his responsibility to account for tax dollars spent in our state. WTF in your mind does a state auditor do????? You obviously approve of this waste. What an idiot. Please 'stay in your lane' instead of trying to generate trouble. Or give us YOUR explanation of the state auditor's exact duties that do NOT include researching the waste of tax dollars. Thank you, Kingfish for reporting this information.

Anonymous said...

Cut the funding by the amount spent on DEI. Then place them on a Line Item budget.

Anonymous said...

And this shrimp can’t find a single piece of corruption in Jackson or with Phil Bryant. What. A. CLOWN

Anonymous said...

Shad's waste of taxpayer money on this political study is as wasteful as the DEI bullshit.

Anonymous said...

@7:28 Who should look in it then? Don't you have a lane you could be staying in right now?

Anonymous said...

The irony, of course, is how much money taxpayers spent on the State Auditor doing an audit on how much money is "wasted" on DEI.

Should have been a 1 page report tops. Go back to finding people who steal money.

Anonymous said...

7:28. If White doesn’t expose this, who would? Don’t you think citizens should know what the public universities are up to?

Anonymous said...

@ "I just can not wrap my head around why this issue is in Shad's responsibilities. I so wish he would stay in his lane instead of trying to generate issues and headlines. Be the Auditor"


The Mississippi Constitution grants specific duties and powers related to prescribing systems of accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting for public offices in Mississippi. It also enumerates other statutory responsibilities including study and analysis of existing public managerial policies and practices; pre-audit and post-audit functions; investigation of suspected fiscal violations; recovering misspent and stolen funds; and a variety of related duties and responsibilities.

In other words, he's SUPPOSED to report on taxpayer-funded expenditures.

Anonymous said...

7:28,

Sounds like Shad is in his lane...

From Investopedia:

"Government auditors maintain and examine records of government agencies and of private businesses or individuals performing activities subject to government regulations or taxation. Auditors employed through the government ensure revenues are received and spent according to laws and regulations. They detect embezzlement and fraud, analyze agency accounting controls, and evaluate risk management."

Anonymous said...

Spent a couple of days listening to a University's orientation pitch. Was actually fairly impressive, until the DEI postions took the microphone.

Everybody knows it's a sham.

Tip O’Neill said...

Smoke them out Shad, maybe one day the major donors will say “end this crap or get your donations elsewhere “. Somewhere in the soul of most Mississippian’s they know what’s right and just, DEI isn’t it.

Anonymous said...

This is ABSOLUTELY in his lane. He is the STATE AUDITOR....he is responsible for making sure our tax revenue is spent correctly and not wasted on such things as DEI.

Anonymous said...

Auditing taxpayer funding & money is SHAD’s job. Biggest waste of $$ ever spent& should go to scholarships!

Anonymous said...

Don't like DEI? Don't send your kids to state universities. There's plenty of Christian higher education in the area: MC, Belhaven, Tougaloo-or even go to William Carey or Rust. (Millsaps..DEI is too conservative for them..)

MC, thanks to Leland Speed, costs as much or less than any state university. No excuses when your kid comes home with pink hair and turns on MSNBC. You have been warned.

Anonymous said...

"@7:28 Finding spending waste and abuse is one of the entire reasons to do audits in the first place."

While that's not entirely untrue, 7:58 (the auditor is not impowered to investigate poor decisions), the State Auditor has no authority to audit schools or school districts.

Anonymous said...

I was at an Ole Miss event last year and they forced us to sit through a DEI session. The biggest joke was encouraging "open conversation" so they can educate dumb white people. But that is a lie. One wrong question and you are fired. They want a monologue. Not a discussion.

I am all for equality in hiring, school acceptance, government lending etc.
But it is an absolute fools errand to attempt to remove the internal preference to surround oneself with people of similar color.

Black people do not want white people around and hold black-only events. And I don't blame them. Heck, Asians, Indians, all are allowed. So why is a White only event a racist party?

Anonymous said...

"I just cannot wrap my head around why you think this should not be in Shad's responsibilities."

Sorry Charlie! The State Auditor is not responsible for reporting on the expenditure of your taxes. His job is to investigate alleged, suspected, apparent or perceived criminal misdeeds and to perform periodic audits as prescribed by law.

The legislature prescribes no such duty to him as taking a look at how many graduates of colleges (he thinks) leave the state or how unwisely a school spends its funds or which laws his moral values lead him to chant for.

Anonymous said...

DEI is just the presentation of History. Everyone has a right to their interpretation . Kingfish publishes a weekly column from a couple of employees of a state university . Are we paying for religious instruction in our colleges ? Where is the uproar and audit of that. You may not like history but you can’t change what happen, but we can learn from it.

Anonymous said...

DEI administrations and staff are nothing more than a campus resident office of the Democrat Party funded by taxpayers and students.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Shad’s authority to review and comment on spending would be criticized if the subject matter was Aryan race contribution to society?
RMQ

Anonymous said...

And what is the cost to society from rubber-stamping through the unqualified, one might ask?

Go Shad! said...

More of that "low hanging fruit?" Jackasses!

Anonymous said...

@ 12:18
Well, it would be a very significant contribution.
Moreso than any group I can think of

Anonymous said...

Some DEI is really dumb, some is pretty reasonable.

If you actually read the report, you'll see plenty of programs that just, for example, bring kids from poor, typically majority-black public schools to college campuses so they can see what college is like. Or teach about different cultures at a university level. Hard to imagine any but the most die-hard right wingers objecting to any of that.

Political activists like using code words. The left calls everything they don't like "white supremacy". The right wants to use a similar broad brush with "DEI," and make you believe that it's all just nutjobs telling you that white people are evil and need to apologize. In truth, most of is just your bog standard "Don't discriminate against people and be nice" stuff that every employer and institution does.

Also, the numbers here are frankly pretty small potatoes, at least in terms of actual state funding. We're talking about institutions that get $2M a year in mad money to fix sidewalks and pay their football coaches alone $5M a year.

All told, I'm fine with an intellectually honest, evenhanded attempt to reduce waste. But when you use that as a pretext to attack your political foes, and only your political foes, that's wrong. Entirely predictable from ambitious, grandstanding politicians, but still wrong.

Anonymous said...

I would like for the State auditor & AG to report on the OleMiss professor that the State Auditor charged with illegally receiving pay for days not worked and who in return sued the State Auditor. The State Auditor issued many press releases prior to being sued. Now we hear nothing about the outcome. Did the professor repay the money or did the State Auditor quietly drop the demand for repayment?

Anonymous said...

DEI- the BIG Lie

Anonymous said...

If you are a real politician you can launch a political campaign from any position no matter how unrelated to your ultimate ambitions. Just use a little imagination and the tools at your disposal. Shad is finally showing that he is just one more bullshit politician. He will end up governor or senator. I wonder which.

Anonymous said...

Distraction so people will forget about the $94 million in missing welfare funds and Phil, Nancy, Brett and others.

Anonymous said...

June 12, 2023 at 2:20 PM, if you weren't so busy braying like a jackass on a cool fall morning, maybe you could learn a few things before you decreased the IQ of everyone that read your post.

The state doesn't pay $5 million a year for a football coach's salary. I repeat, the state doesn't pay $5 million a year for a football coach's salary. I typed the repeated part slowly, perhaps it will sink in.

Anonymous said...

So let’s see, what’s confusing about Mississippi? We have an IHL board that controls the public Universities and appointed by Republicans yet they have all this money for Diversity crap. We have a parole board that lets murderers out of jail and they work at Will and Pleasure of the Republican Governor. Let me get this straight. All these Republicans control every decision and all the money in this state yet we have all this liberal BS going on. Anyone seeing a problem yet? We have a bunch of people claiming to be conservative but their actions don’t show it.

Anonymous said...

Did Shad even read the 322 pages.

I didn't either.

Anonymous said...

9:36 don’t forget we have a Republican Lt. Gov who appoints 16 democrats to Chair committees. A Republican legislature that voted to legalize marijuana and then made it impossible to punish anyone when they do something that is wrong. A Republican legislature that wants Justice Reform which means soft on crime.

Anonymous said...

https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-7-executive-department/ms-code-sect-7-7-211.html

Not his job.

Anonymous said...

Want proof of the bogus numbers that come out of the MDE? Per Auditor White:

https://biggerpieforum.org/education/did-the-dog-eat-mdes-homework/

Anonymous said...

RINOs @9:36, RINOs.

Don Drane said...

Although I find the columns by Crawford (not a university employee) and Sid to be genuinely absent of useful information, this is a privately owned blog, and the owner is entitled to do with (and on) it as he pleases. That includes using the columns written by MSU employees as well as the boring, world-traveled executive chef.

In response to: "Kingfish publishes a weekly column from a couple of employees of a state university."

Anonymous said...

You guys love to eat that low hanging fruit.

Carrot on the stick and the jackasses march to the beat.

Anonymous said...

Say..ah, how do you get one of those Chief Cultural Officer jobs??/

Anonymous said...

You have to love how Shad White equates diversity and being poor as the same thing... Has he never drove through Rankin County?

Anonymous said...

For you people who always chime in claiming this type of nothing-burger is Shad's responsibility and he has to speak about misuse and waste in government....Try this analogy.

Lets say Shad hangs out on I-220 every night for two months, three hours each night, with pad, pencil and radar gun he borrowed from Madison S.O. (who ain't even supposed to have it).

So, during this survey of his, he requires two or three subordinates to help him tabulate stuff. They clock JPD vehicles' speed and Shad magically calculates how much less gas would have been used in three months had the JPD officers driven the speed limit or less.

Shad claims a total of $68,452 in fuel costs could have been saved and calculates the total waste as $419,000 including certain add-ons and investigative costs including the time of his staff.

You Goobs would celebrate this malfeasance on his part and recommend him for king of town, right? When he had not one damned bit of business even leaving the house those 60 nights.

Anonymous said...

DEI is a farce

Anonymous said...

Mississippi receives 34% of its state operating budget from the Federal Government. Until your state starts paying its own way, Shad needs to get in his lane. This audit is purely politically motivated and discounts DEI's impact on higher education. Someone has to pay for the $6+ billion coming into the state from the Feds. Guess what, its all the liberal states you hate.



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