5 minSociety
SMU denies hidden DEI program after undercover video
Southern Methodist University says it does not operate a hidden diversity program after an undercover video showed an official describing efforts to keep DEI work less visible.
Southern Methodist University is pushing back against allegations that it runs a hidden diversity, equity and inclusion program, after an undercover video showed a staff member describing efforts to keep such work less visible on the Dallas campus.
The footage, released by the media watchdog Accuracy in Media and shared Monday by school choice activist Corey DeAngelis, shows Danielle Palomo, a coordinator in the university’s division of student affairs, telling an undercover journalist that her office has had to do “a lot of maneuvering” to remain “kind of hidden” while continuing its work. The video alleges that SMU renamed its Office of Diversity and Inclusion as the Office of Cultural Intelligence to make its DEI programming less conspicuous.
“As you can probably imagine, we’ve had to do a lot of maneuvering in order to remain kinda hidden under a lot of things,” Palomo said in the recording. “But as long as we can keep doing what we’re doing even to a smaller capacity, that is what we’re going to do. We’re going to do our best.”
In the video, an undercover journalist asks about equity trainings for staff and faculty. Palomo responds that such trainings are held through the Office of Cultural Intelligence, adding that her office has offered similar sessions for students in the past. She also says the university is “slowly working to rename things and maybe do away with things” in response to political pressure.
SMU, a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church, holds 164 active federal grants totaling nearly $30 million from agencies including the departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and Education, according to a May 2025 report by its independent student newspaper, The Daily Campus. The same report noted that SMU’s research and development spending has more than tripled since 2010, rising from $18.7 million to nearly $59.8 million in fiscal year 2023.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, an SMU spokesperson said the university does not operate a hidden DEI program. The spokesperson said the university offers activities under the Cultural Intelligence framework adopted in 2017, which focuses on understanding different perspectives, strengthening relationships, and fostering mutual respect and community. “Through this approach, we equip members of our university community with the skills to communicate, lead, teach, coach and innovate effectively across different perspectives and experiences,” the spokesperson added. “As with all university programs, SMU regularly reviews its practices to ensure they align with applicable legal requirements and our institutional mission.”
DeAngelis, who has been a vocal critic of DEI initiatives in education, called on the Trump administration to cut federal funding from universities that continue such programs under new names. “The radical left running these campuses is not rooting out Marxist DEI ideology,” he said. “They are moving the goalposts, renaming offices and hiding the same agenda under new labels like ‘cultural intelligence.’”
He also noted that SMU tuition is $63,736 per year and that the university receives more than $25 million in federal funding annually. “A school charging that kind of tuition does not need taxpayer money to keep DEI alive under another name,” he said.
The Trump administration has moved to restrict DEI initiatives at federally funded schools through executive actions and Department of Education directives, though federal judges have blocked portions of those efforts amid constitutional and procedural challenges. The Department of Education has also warned state education departments that they must remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding.
Fox News Digital reached out to Palomo for comment but did not receive a response.
