State Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Guilford), as the chair of the NC House Education – Universities Committee and House majority whip, sent a strongly worded letter to UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz about a mandatory “equity, diversity and inclusion” training program.

The letter was co-signed by 52 state representatives and 15 state senators.

In the letter Hardister states, “Based on the evidence that has been presented by the Carolina Review, the contents of this training program are divisive and offensive.”

The mandatory program was held by the UNC Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Hardister states, “Some of the contents of this “training” include the claim that we are on stolen land in North Carolina; the claim that grocery stores are oppressive because not everyone can reach the top shelf; that airlines are oppressive because not everyone can fit into an average size seat; that our society “disempowers, or sometimes harms” people who are left-handed; that “whiteness” and “white privilege” pervade our society; and that “whiteness” and “white privilege” can be juxtaposed with other tenets of oppression.”

In the letter, Hardister states that all people should be treated with respect and tolerance but adds, “Instead, programs like this perpetuate division, animosity and mistrust. It is very concerning, and also very sad, that this kind of propaganda is being mandated in a public university. It is ironic that programs like this do the opposite of their expressed intentions; while they claim to promote tolerance and inclusivity, they in fact do the opposite.”

Hardister notes that some students reportedly felt “guilty” and “convicted” after the mandated training program and states, “This is shameful.  It is irresponsible to promote the theory that a person (in this case a college student) should feel guilty simply because of their skin is a certain color.”

Hardister ends the letter with six questions he asks Guskiewicz to answer, including, “Does your administration have a plan to address concerns related to politically-motivated indoctrination on campus both in the classroom and in university-sanctioned organizations?”