We asked for a syllabus. They called it a threat to democracy.
It’s good to be back in the Advocate — the self-described “world’s leading source of LGBTQ+ news and information.” The last time it covered me, it involved a spat with a group of criminal, gay furry hackers. It never published the follow-up when one of those hackers was arrested, just as I promised. This time, I’ve committed an even greater sin in the Advocate's eyes: I asked a woke, gay professor at a public university to share his syllabus.
That professor, Christopher Petsko, teaches at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And his reaction — along with the left’s coordinated meltdown — tells you everything you need to know about how deeply embedded DEI ideology remains in taxpayer-funded higher ed.
The Trump administration has made its position clear. Our job is to ensure it follows through.
Here’s what we’re doing. The Oversight Project submitted public records requests for syllabi from professors at public universities — institutions subject to state transparency laws. President Trump and his administration have made it a public priority to root out diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from the federal government and its beneficiaries, including universities. Our aim is to determine whether schools are complying with the law — or rebranding DEI under another name.
Because if they are, the administration should know. And act.
Follow-through matters. We’ve seen high-profile announcements on anti-DEI and anti-anti-Semitism efforts before, only to watch the implementation get outsourced or quietly neutered. Columbia University, for example, partnered with the far-left Anti-Defamation League to monitor itself for anti-Semitism — then gave itself a clean bill of health. That’s theater, not accountability.
It's the same story with the so-called crackdown on law firms weaponizing their influence. We contacted many of the firms that pledged pro bono support for conservative clients. Most didn’t respond. Most have done nothing. We’ll be publishing the receipts soon.
In that context, our university initiative is simple: Show us the syllabi. If DEI ideology is still embedded in coursework, the public deserves to know. Instead, some of these professors are losing their minds.
Petsko responded with a melodramatic LinkedIn post:
Keep doing the work you were trained to do. Keep educating others. Keep sharing your expertise. And don’t let vague references to executive orders make you question whether you have a right to be sharing your knowledge with the world.
He then declared he would not release his syllabus. (Too late.)
Other academics rallied to his side. Colin Carlson of Yale took to Bluesky to frame our request as “targeted harassment at scale.” Kate Starbird of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public responded, “Of course they are.”
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The irony, of course, is that these same people preach transparency when they’re not the ones being scrutinized. Why is it that transparency always seems to flow one way — targeting the right while the left hides behind tenure and taxpayer funding?
Next came a hit piece from Inside Higher Ed, which apparently objects to anyone trying to get inside higher ed. I told Inside Higher Ed:
UNC is a public school with a long track record of discrimination. Syllabi are public records and belong to the public. We intend to let the public know what is being taught at a public school. That’s not intimidation. It’s good governance and transparency. If a professor is too much of a wimp to let me read his syllabus, then he’s in the wrong business.
The response? A pile of quotes from leftists accusing us of “chilling free speech” and “intimidation.” Apparently, basic accountability is now oppression.
As for Petsko — he didn’t get the last word.
We now have his syllabus. And surprise: It’s loaded with DEI propaganda. Required reading includes “Dear White Boss,” which claims white executives should be forced to read it. Another entry, “Why Diversity Programs Fail,” criticizes corporate DEI efforts for not going far enough. Students are also instructed to listen to “How to Bust Bias at Work,” which promotes race-based promotion practices.
This is what passes for education at a public university.
The University of North Carolina is out of compliance with federal policy. The Trump administration has made its position clear. Our job is to ensure it follows through.
And we intend to do exactly that.
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