College campuses have become a critical battleground for the future of our nation. Each year, countless young men and women leave the security of their conservative, faith-based homes, seeking an education that promises opportunity and financial stability. Yet instead of being equipped with the tools to succeed, far too many encounter professors and peers who denigrate conservative values and people.

What should be centers of learning have instead become laboratories for radical experimentation. Campuses across America now serve as breeding grounds for far-left ideology, hostility toward Christian values, and anti-White rhetoric.

Faculty members, who should guide students toward truth and critical thought, overwhelmingly use their positions to advance ideologies openly hostile to America’s founding principles. In this environment, our young people are not being educated–they are being indoctrinated. If left unchallenged, this will shape not only their futures but the future of the nation itself.

In the wake of the horrific assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Louisiana’s political leaders can no longer remain silent about the far-left rot in our higher education system. Other writers here on The Hayride have already exposed parts of this problem. In today’s article, we will look specifically at how Louisiana higher education openly discriminates against White and Asian students.

In Louisiana, most higher education administrators, board members, and professors are registered Democrats or donors to left-leaning political campaigns.  In fact, at the top of the Louisiana higher education chain of command is a registered Democrat who worked in the Obama administration “leading post-secondary diversity and inclusion work”–Kim Hunter Reed.

Soon after Reed’s appointment as Commissioner of Louisiana Higher Education in 2018, the Board of Regents and nearly all state universities adopted a policy objective in the Higher Education Executive Budget that openly prioritizes non-White and non-Asian students.  This discriminatory objective first appeared in the FY21-22 budget (pg. 16) and has been listed every year since, including the FY25-26 budget (pg. 12).

Here are pressing questions the Board of Regents must answer about this troubling policy:

·      What actions have Commissioner Reed, the Board of Regents, and Louisiana colleges taken to achieve this objective over the past five years?

·      Have universities, including LSU, used the “test-optional” policy to admit more “underrepresented minorities” over White students in pursuit of this goal?

·       Have assistive programs been put in place that would benefit “underrepresented minorities” but were not made available to White or Asian students?

·       Is this objective in defiance of President Trump’s Executive Order #14173 of January 21, 2025?

Beyond these questions, no reasonable person can deny that Commissioner Reed represents the far-left dogma entrenched in Louisiana higher education. For instance, Reed has promoted, attended (pg. 8), advocated for and lectured at Black Lives Matter protests and events. Concerning discriminatory DEI policies, she has:

• Implemented DEI pledges
• Advocated for DEI programs at higher education institutions
• Ushered in one of the founders of critical race theory as President of LSU
• Advocated for affirmative action
• Advocated for DEI spending at higher education institutions
• Testified in support of EdTrust, a pro- DEI, anti-Trump organization
• Advocated for DEI to apply to all hiring processes across higher education institutions

Reed has also criticized President Trump for pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accords (4:20), led a global warming task force, and pushed global warming policies. She has no qualms about revealing her far-left ideology, and Louisiana is overdue in scrutinizing her poor track record as Commissioner of Louisiana Higher Education.

Louisiana ranked 42nd in Higher Education in April 2018 when Reed became Commissioner. Today, Louisiana Higher Education ranks 49th, despite a budget of over $3 billion. Louisiana is a conservative state with traditional, Christian-based beliefs and values. The Governor, the majority of the Legislature, and every statewide official are Republicans. Yet the people setting policies on Louisiana campuses–and shaping the minds of our young adults-are often working against those very values.

This untenable situation must change. Our state’s public institutions should not be run by individuals who push discriminatory policies against White and Asian students.

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Nathan Koenig is a frequent contributor to RVIVR.com, a national conservative political site affiliated with The Hayride. Follow his writing on the Louisiana First Standard Substack, on Twitter (X) @LAFirstStandard, on Tik Tok @la.first.standard & on Instagram @lafirststandard. Email him here: louisianafirststandard@proton.me