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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Last week, The Tennessee Conservative reported on the breaking story of a Belmont University official caught on camera admitting to harboring illegal alien students and deliberately pushing DEI policies through crafty rebranding.
Now, while calling for a federal investigation into the school, Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles has released reports showing Belmont’s deception is deeper rooted than initially suspected.
In the undercover footage, Belmont’s Assistant Director of “Student Success and Flourishing” Jozef Lukey revealed the school knows they have “undocumented students” on campus and deliberately hides their information to better operate “in the shadows”.
Lukey also admits that the absorption of the school’s DEI department into their Hope, Unity, and Belonging (HUB) Office in 2022 was simply a way to continue DEI practices without being “under the microscope.”
Congressman Andy Ogles was one of the first Tennessee officials to jump into action, announcing he had sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon demanding an investigation and a revocation of all federal funds if necessary.
But the Congressman hasn’t stopped there, releasing several “Belmont Bombshells” containing leaked emails and documents showing how “aggressively Belmont University’s administration is pushing DEI indoctrination behind the scenes”.
“Belmont Bombshell” #1 features an email from April asking university faculty to vote for a nominee to serve on the “Faculty Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Committee” for the next college academic year which will start in the fall of this year.
“Belmont claims to be a Christian university. DEI is a radically un-Christian, anti-truth ideology. This has no place in Tennessee. Stay tuned,” Ogles said.
“Belmont Bombshell #2” shows an official curriculum proposal form requiring faculty to write a “Diversity Impact Statement” to justify how any course proposals or revisions will, “include perspectives from diverse and/or historically underrepresented populations.” This means that any new or revised classes must be tailored to include DEI ideology or risk being rejected by the Belmont Provost.
While the form was dated for use in 2023, Ogles wrote that, “Belmont is allegedly still forcing professors to comply with this form,” and it is unlikely the school has greatly altered the document as more is revealed about the school’s determination to continue pressing DEI initiatives.
“Belmont Bombshell #3 features a campus-wide email from the “woke” college president claiming the school has been unfairly portrayed and is not engaging in any deceptive or illegal activity as it strives to “be in compliance with federal law.”
The president also contents hat the HUB office’s goal is to ensure, “every Belmont student feels valued, respected, and a strong set of belonging throughout their time at the University- regardless of background, religion, ethnicity, political party, or perspective,” to fulfill the school’s “Christ-centered” educational mission.
Ogles offered proof to the contrary, writing, “That’s a blatant deception. HUB is DEI propaganda and nothing else. His own chief of staff admitted the HUB was created to be the centralized office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on campus. You can’t hide the truth forever. DEI is not Christian- it’s a racist framework construction by atheist ideologues. DEFUND NOW.”
A screenshot from the university’s website confirmed the verbiage from the chief of staff, and the headline of the pictured blog post is “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Agents of Hope”.
In response to Ogle’s reports and media scrutiny, Belmont released a statement reading, “We are deeply saddened that these videos portray Belmont as having a ‘shadow operation, ‘ as nothing could be further from the truth. It’s also disappointing that Rep. Ogles and others perceive such an approach as being representative of Belmont University’s character and values…The employee in this video was not authorized to represent the University on these topics nor speak on behalf of Belmont as an institution.”
It is unsurprising that the school has circled the wagons and attempted to discredit Ogles and his reports, especially given the legitimate questions being raised over the legality of the school’s activities.
Harboring illegal aliens is a state and federal crime, the Trump Executive Order eliminating DEI in federally funded institutions was issued in January, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws the kind of discrimination often seen in DEI programs.
And Ogles isn’t buying their response. “Belmont is attacking me for exposing the DEI operation they’re still running- claiming I’m being ‘deceptive’ for calling their Office of Hope, Unity, and Belonging and DEI coverup. Their own website literally defines the HUB as ‘Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging.’ FYI: Actively discriminating in violation of federal law- while quoting biblical scripture- doesn’t make you a more Christian, it makes you a hypocrite”.
He called for Belmont to, “remove any and all requirements for faculty to include DEI and remove any trace of this propaganda from all school-sponsored materials at once.”
But it isn’t just Congressmen exposing the college’s apparent dishonesty.
Mya Goodmanson, a Belmont University senior, concurred that Belmont’s HUB rebrand wasn’t exactly subtle.
“Every student at Belmont knows that [the HUB] is the DEI program or the DEI office. It’s no secret,” she said.
And not forgetting about the harboring of illegal aliens, State Representative Jody Barrett has condemned the school for running a “sanctuary scam”.
Senator Brent Taylor of Memphis , who co-sponsored legislation creating a felony offense for harboring illegal aliens in Tennessee commented, “The truth of the matter is the legislature has made it very clear that we do not want people or organizations or businesses to be hiding or harboring or shielding illegal aliens from immigration officials.”
Senator Marsha Blackburn has also stated she will be “demanding answers” of Belmont, but did not specify any actions she intends to take.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
