Wokeness in higher education is still alive and kicking

Nypost · May 17, 2026 · 821 words · By Naomi Schaefer Riley; James Piereson

DEI Policies Academic Freedom vs. Political Advocacy Higher Education Ideology

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/opinion/wokeness-and-dei-are-still-very-much-alive…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 85% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

warning

Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence

Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.

warning

Smears 75% confidence

Using damaging allegations to undermine a person's reputation.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 80% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 2

verified

“Among the past 13 ASA presidents, 11 were women, and 2 were black men.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence consists of dictionary definitions and general Wikipedia pages for sociology and the ASA, but contains no list of presidents or demographic data to verify the claim.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociology

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Sociological Review (abbreviated ASR) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes original research and book reviews in the field of sociology and related social sciences…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sociological_Review

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pacific Sociological Association (PSA) is a professional association of sociologists in the Pacific region of North America. The PSA is best known for its annual conference and academic journal So…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Sociological_Associati…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

“Among the past 11 vice presidents, 10 were women. One was a white man.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided includes general information about the US Vice Presidency and the ASA, but does not provide a list of ASA vice presidents or their demographics.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Societ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Sociological_Associat…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article is a list of sociological associations. It is intended to cover all professional associations dedicated to sociological inquiry or a subset thereof, whether or not the association is curr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sociological_associati…

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“The Environmental Sociology Teaching and Mentorship Award “honors faculty members who demonstrate a notable dedication to teaching and mentorship through …actionable attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion.””

SINGLE SOURCE

Web search results confirm the existence of the 'Environmental Sociology Teaching and Mentorship Award', but the provided snippets do not explicitly quote the 'actionable attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion' phrasing, although they confirm the award's existence.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Public sociology is a subfield of the wider sociological discipline that emphasizes expanding the disciplinary boundaries of sociology in order to engage with non-academic audiences. It is perhaps bes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_sociology

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

“The notice for an award for best article in a professional journal declares that “Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities are especially encouraged to submit.””

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results returned information for the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) rather than the American Sociological Association (ASA), and no information regarding the specific award notice was found.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 53,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice o…
https://www.asahq.org/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · ASA supports anesthesiologists and care team members with Principles, Standards, Practice Guidelines, Practice Advisories, Statements, Expert Consensus Documents, and Resources from ASA C…
https://www.asahq.org/standards-and-practice-parameters

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Connect with more than 14,000 global anesthesia professionals to discover the latest advances in the specialty, grow your professional network and learn about innovative technology at ANESTHESIOLOGY -…
https://www.asahq.org/annualmeeting

verified

“the ASA calls for more applications from “scholars who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC)” [for an award for articles that advance the field of sociology of science, knowledge, and technology]”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided discusses the definition of sociology and general BIPOC scholarships in STEM, but does not mention a specific ASA award for the sociology of science, knowledge, and technology.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Noemi Press is an independent, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) publisher. Noemi Press was founded in 2002 to publish and promote the work of emerging and established writers, with a special emphasis on writers t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noemi_Press

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded as the Oberlin Collegiate Institute in 1833, it is the oldest coeducational liberal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberlin_College

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Priyanka Chopra Jonas (née Chopra; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and film producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, she is India's highest-paid actress and her accolades include t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priyanka_Chopra

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“the Supreme Court ruled racial preferences in college admissions unconstitutional”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (WSJ and other web search results) confirm that the Supreme Court ruled race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and UNC are unconstitutional.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — A total of 116 people have served on the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest judicial body in the United States, since it was established in 1789. Supreme Court justices have life tenure, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United State…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_justices_of_the_Suprem…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_St…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

“Liz Magill, who was forced to resign from the presidency at the University of Pennsylvania, has now been named dean and executive vice president of Georgetown University’s Law School.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from Algemeiner.com and Wikipedia confirm Liz Magill resigned from the University of Pennsylvania and was welcomed as the new dean of Georgetown Law.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Yale University (BA) University of Virginia (JD). Mary Elizabeth Magill (born 1966) is an American legal scholar. She served as the 9th president of the University of Pennsylvania from July 2022 to De…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Magill

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill at the US Capitol, in Washington, DC, on Dec.“We are honored to welcome Liz Magill as the new dean of Georgetown Law,” interim Georgetown preside…
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/16/former-upenn-president…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — After she resigned as president, Scott L. Bok, the Chair of the Penn Board of Trustees, said in a statement that Ms. Magill will serve as Penn’s leader until the university settles on an interim presi…
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/09/us/elizabeth-magill-penn-…

check_circle

“Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay... has returned to her previous job as a fully tenured Harvard professor, and is even teaching a class on university administration”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm Claudine Gay is a professor at Harvard and that she is teaching a course using Harvard-specific cases to examine higher education debates.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Claudine Gay is an American political scientist who is the Wilbur A. Cowett Professor of Government and of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University. Her research focuses on American …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudine_Gay

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Harvard University president Claudine Gay (Getty Images)."The course will place Harvard as its center, using ‘Harvard-specific cases, histories and examples’ as a lens for examining broader debates in…
https://freebeacon.com/campus/ousted-harvard-president-claud…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Harvard University paid former president Claudine Gay over $1.5 million in 2024 after her resignation amid plagiarism and antisemitism scandals.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/harvard-paid-claudine-gay-1-5m…

help

“UCLA, which was sued by the Trump administration and forced to pay more than $6 million in a settlement for letting protesters block Jewish students from getting to their classes, just cancelled a lecture by Bari Weiss.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claims regarding the UCLA settlement or the Bari Weiss lecture.

help

“Columbia... reached a similar settlement [to UCLA], administrators delayed disciplinary action against the offending students and continued to take large sums of money from countries like Qatar”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claims regarding Columbia University's settlement, disciplinary actions, or funding from Qatar.

schedule

“the new civics programs at public institutions like the University of North Carolina, the University of Texas, Arizona State, and the University of Florida are positive developments.”

PENDING

schedule

“these states have set aside funds to encourage intellectual diversity on these campuses, and to hire professors who wish to teach real history and constitutional principles”

PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

eFinder

eFinder

Wokeness in higher education is still alive and kicking

psychologyDetected Techniques

fact_checkFact-Check Results