Rutgers closes DEI office, reopens under new name

According to northjersey.com, under President Tate, the Rutgers Office of University Equity and Inclusion has been closed. In its place is now the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity.

Along with this change, certain words and phrases, such as “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion,” “belonging” and “safe space,” have been scrubbed from the Rutgers Libraries websites and databases.

Additionally, all libraries were notified on Feb. 3 via email that their DEI committees would be disbanded. When asked about the changes, the university said it was complying with federal law, in light of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that banned affirmative action in college admissions.

This occurs while over 400 colleges and universities across the eliminated or rebranded their DEI programs since President Donald Trump took office in 2025.