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Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is demanding an investigation into Belmont University after leaked recordings of a university faculty member admitting the school has maintained its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives but "just change[d] on how we talk about it" despite federal directives to end the programs deemed by many to be discriminatory.
In undercover recordings, the same official can be heard admitting the school also enrolls illegal immigrants and hides that information from external entities, which Ogles suggested could violate state law against knowingly harboring illegal aliens for profit.
"Belmont University claims to be a Christian institution grounded in Biblical principles, but its administration is injecting anti-gospel DEI ideology into its curriculum," Ogles told Fox News Digital.
"President Trump has rightly demanded that colleges and universities dismantle the DEI cartel or lose federal funding. Belmont officials, however, have been caught on camera bragging about their ‘clever’ scheme to rebrand DEI and continue pushing the same radical agenda under a new name."
Tennessee GOP Rep. Andy Ogles is calling for an investigation into Belmont University after an undercover recording showed a school official admitting the university was continuing DEI using new terminology to prevent backlash. (Getty Images)
Belmont is just one of the latest schools to come under fire for allegedly trying to skirt federal funding repercussions by re-branding DEI programs and policies. An investigation in April by conservative parental rights group Defending Education found that despite the president's executive directives, there are still 383 "currently active" DEI offices and programs with 243 universities maintaining institution-wide DEI offices or programming.
In addition to tracking those DEI offices and programs that are still active, the group's investigation also highlighted dozens of universities that have taken steps to rebrand or reorganize their DEI efforts as opposed to shutting them down like others have done.
Ogles pointed to Belmont's Office of Hope, Unity and Belonging (HUB), which engulfed the university's DEI efforts in 2022, as an example of how the school has rebranded its DEI efforts.
"The HUB is hope, unity and belonging. That's DEI. Let's be real," Jozef Lukey, Belmont's assistant director of student success and flourishing, said in an undercover recording cited by Ogles. "We always try to just adapt to what's happening around us. But that doesn't mean, like, what we're focusing on completely stops. We just changed the terminology and the language that we keep moving forward.
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"We're always going to keep doing what we're doing. The work never stops. We just change on how we talk about it."
Belmont University hosted a presidential debate in 2020. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)
After Ogles' public complaints, his office said, faculty and students have reached out to attest to the school's ongoing DEI initiatives. One professor allegedly shared a mandatory form for faculty members requesting to revise or propose a new course, which requires a "Diversity Impact Statement" outlining how the course supports "historically underrepresented populations."
Another source, according to Ogles' office, shared screenshots of an email chain showing Belmont intends to keep its faculty DEI committee for the next academic year.
Belmont has insisted attempts to portray the school as having a "shadow operation" are wholly inaccurate.
"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 university told local outlet Fox 17.
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, the school maintained it is "in compliance with federal laws."
"We are aware of comments from government officials and maintain that the university is in compliance with federal laws," a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "We look forward to working together with the Tennessee delegation to address any concerns about legal compliance."
President Donald Trump took steps shortly after entering office, including an executive order demanding colleges and universities end "discriminatory" DEI programs or risk losing their federal funding. (Getty Images)
In an email allegedly sent to the Belmont University community, university President L. Gregory Jones doubled down on the school's compliance with federal laws and argued HUB was established to "inspire the campus community to fully live in light of Christ's resurrection," adding it is not a DEI office even though the university's website described it like that when it was established in 2022. The email included references to counseling services for people who may be feeling uncomfortable as a result of the allegations the school is facing.
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The school did not respond to allegations from Ogles and others that the school is admitting and harboring illegal immigrants for profit.
"We definitely have to navigate very carefully and just cautiously just because we just don't ever know, especially with like the ICE raids that are happening in the city that impacts our campus," Lukey was caught saying in the undercover recording.
"We do have undocumented students here. Yeah. Oh, yeah. We don't communicate to anybody externally who's undocumented, who isn't. And, so, like, yes, we know who it is. Faculty don't really know. How could they? Unless it's indicated in the system somewhere."
According to Ogles, such a move could potentially violate Tennesee's Senate Bill 392, which was passed recently and criminalizes 501(c)(3) institutions, known colloquially as nonprofits, for harboring illegal aliens for profit.
