Anti-DEI group out with new NC video. They posed as ‘students in distress,’ WCU says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Activist group Accuracy in Media released a third DEI-focused undercover video.
- WCU says interviewers misrepresented themselves and employee lacked authority.
- UNC System repealed DEI mandates in 2024, cutting or realigning 190 positions.
A new undercover video from an activist media organization purports to show a former administrator at Western Carolina University “pushing” diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, despite the UNC System repealing DEI programs last year.
But the university is standing by its record regarding compliance with state and federal rules on DEI. And, in initial comments about the matter sent to The News & Observer, the university also said that the undercover interviewers did not present themselves to the administrator truthfully — instead posing as “students in distress” who asked “leading questions.”
Generally, it is considered unethical for journalists to report undercover. The Society of Professional Journalists, in its code of ethics, suggests reporters should “avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information unless traditional, open methods will not yield information vital to the public.”
A revised statement from WCU did not include the previous description of the interviewers.
But in both statements, the university maintained the school’s position that the administrator featured in the video did not have authority to speak for the university.
“Western Carolina University complies fully with the spirit and letter of all state and federal laws and UNC System policies on equality and institutional neutrality,” the revised statement read. “The director of institutional assessment, featured in the video, has no role in policy or compliance decisions and was not authorized to speak on behalf of the university.”
The employee, Karen Price, has not been employed at WCU since mid-April, per the university. Initial comments from the university said Price retired at that time.
Price is seen in the video making comments implying that while WCU no longer has a DEI office or employees explicitly devoted to the efforts, the university is “trying to embed” DEI across campus.
“The work is still occurring very much here at Western,” Price said. “You just might see it called different things.”
The video, filmed and released by Accuracy in Media, is the third such clip the organization has released of employees in the UNC System since late last month, with the first two clips leading to the ousting of administrators at UNC Charlotte and UNC Asheville.
Adam Guillette, president of Accuracy in Media, said on social media the organization has “more videos from a half-dozen universities in North Carolina.”
The organization, which describes itself as using “investigative journalism and citizen-led activism to expose government corruption, public policy failures, and radical activists,” is known for its controversial and provocative tactics that in recent years have included displaying an image of Adolf Hitler raising his arm on a truck intended to denounce antisemitism.
Targeting DEI in the UNC System
The recordings come roughly a year after the UNC System Board of Governors repealed a policy that mandated DEI programming and jobs across the state’s 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
Across the system, nearly 60 DEI-related positions were eliminated and more than 130 jobs were “realigned” — or purged of their ties to DEI — as a result of the repeal. The policy change also resulted in universities closing their DEI offices or units with similar purposes or names.
The former chief diversity officer position, which had been mandated at all UNC System schools under the system’s previous policy, had been vacant at WCU for more than a year when the Board of Governors approved the repeal.
After the repeal went into effect, the university decided to eliminate the position, per WCU’s September compliance report to the board. The university’s DEI office was also eliminated, while two other positions that were previously focused on DEI were realigned to instead focus on equality and student success.
The UNC System’s targeting of DEI efforts has ramped up since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January and began to crack down on DEI.
As part of their efforts to comply with such restrictions, universities across the system have taken steps to scrub references to DEI from their websites and other materials, including mission statements. At one point after Trump took office, WCU removed “diversity and inclusive excellence” as a “core value” in its mission, but then restored the language after The N&O inquired about the change.
WCU is also facing an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education over allegations that the university “refused to comply with Title IX and to ensure sex-separated intimate spaces in federally funded institutions of higher education.”
In its revised statement Tuesday, the university said “campus leadership is working to ensure that employees understand and follow all relevant policies and laws and is conducting a thorough review of our student support services to ensure there is a consistent understanding of policy compliance.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 6:33 PM.
