Townhall Connects Explosive Tennessee DEI Audio Leak to AIM’s 2022 Investigations
July 28, 2025
Tennessee universities are subverting laws aimed at prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices on campuses.
An undercover investigation revealed that staff members at the University of Tennessee (UT) and Vanderbilt University are rebranding their DEI programs to get around legislation prohibiting these initiatives, Fox News reported.
Instead of calling the programs “DEI,” they are using monikers such as “access and engagement” and “belonging and community.” “It’s a chess game,” said UT coordinator Will Eakin in a recording obtained by Fox News.
The coordinator explained that the school “had to take our current programming and our future programming and make sure that it aligns so that we can do the work that we’re trying to do, while also catering to the Department of Education.” He further suggested “using language as a tool for protection” to avoid scrutiny from lawmakers.
UT’s government relations team has helped departments adapt to the legislative crackdown. “Because our government relations team is so good, they know which bills to be mindful of, how to best prepare and everything,” Eakin elaborated.