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This summer, Harvard took the sensible step of consolidating and renaming its prolific Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices — and the Editorial Board thinks the sky is falling down.

What happened when Facebook rebranded to Meta? Were avid users suddenly left in the lurch? Of course not. But in true “Chicken Little” fashion, my colleagues on the Editorial Board surmise that DEI as we know it is coming to an end.

I surely would not complain if that were the case. But, alas, the folding of several of the College’s DEI offices into the Harvard Foundation — a part of the newly rebranded Office of Culture and Community — is nothing more than a cosmetic makeover.

First of all, we know too little about what is actually changing to kick up a fuss. Full-time staff weren’t laid off. Websites have been temporarily removed or rehashed, but that does not mean that they won’t be relocated to another domain — just like the physical offices. If anything, this is to be expected — while I am certainly no computer whiz, it seems entirely unremarkable that it would take time to set up new, well-designed websites.

The most significant changes to date have been slight alterations to two pre-orientation programs that serve less than 300 incoming freshmen — less than a fifth of the class. These programs are no longer as social-justice-warrior-focused as the Board desires — but the freshmen participating appear to have not minded the changes. Moreover, the switch from affinity spaces in the First-Year Retreat and Experience to cultural experiences open to everyone should not come as a surprise, given that the University recently stopped funding affinity graduations, a move that the Board supported.

On a more fundamental level, the Editorial Board appears to lament that Harvard’s DEI rebrand focuses on certain groups but not others. Yet these complaints ring eerily hollow: The Board is just disappointed that its favored groups are no longer receiving special treatment. I guess it doesn’t feel so good when the shoe is on the other foot.

Although admittedly anecdotal, my experience suggests that most students would greet this news — assuming they are even aware of it in the first place — with indifference. DEI might be sacrosanct in certain circles on campus — not least the Editorial Board — but its broader popularity is far less certain than the Board would like you to believe. In fact, I would find it hard to believe that anything more than a miniscule fraction of students interacted with these offices to begin with. With Harvard locked in grave legal and political battles, is this really the hill we want to die on? According to the Editorial Board, yes.

In the end, all we can do is wait and see. I would be shocked if Harvard substantially altered its protections for minority students — it shouldn’t, it hasn’t, and it won’t. DEI rebranding does not equal sacrificing the menstrual products in men’s restrooms. I’m not holding my breath for that to happen.

Henry P. Moss IV ’26, an Associate Editorial Editor, is a History concentrator in Eliot House.

Dissenting Opinions: Occasionally, The Crimson Editorial Board is divided about the opinion we express in a staff editorial. In these cases, dissenting board members have the opportunity to express their opposition to staff opinion.