1819 News Amplifies AIM Undercover Video of UWA Dean Admitting DEI “Loopholes” Exist

August 26, 2025

By AIM Staff

A newly released video of University of West Alabama dean of students Byron Thetford shows Thetford admitting to searching for loopholes to fund DEI programming.

“We can’t directly fund DEI programming, so we have been looking for loopholes,” Thetford said.

Last year, Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a ban on taxpayer resources from funding DEI offices and training in Alabama public universities, schools and agencies.

The video, posted by Accuracy in Media, appears to be from a job interview.

“So, part of this position would be working with some of that,” Thetford said. “We have some funds through our PBI grant that we would like to dedicate to that, and then we do still have a chief, we have somebody who is serving – which, I have to be careful – we have somebody who is serving as our chief diversity officer currently. They are flexing out of that role because we have to, for state purposes, and if we want to continue to have state funding, we had to discontinue all DEI programs.”

Read the full story here.

YOUR SUPPORT WILL HOLD THE MEDIA ACCOUNTABLE.

Accuracy in Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit using citizen activism and undercover journalism to expose corruption, law-breaking, and public policy failures.

We empower individuals to take action and hold government officials, school administrators, and other power players accountable.

Radical activists have taken control of every facet of our culture — from classrooms to boardrooms.

If you and I don’t fight back now, we risk losing the country we love.

Join the movement. Take the pledge.

  • I pledge to do my part in holding bad actors accountable.
  • I pledge to support freedom of speech whenever views are silenced.
  • I pledge to uphold the values of a well-informed free society.

Pledge Now

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Your Name:(Required)