University Of Virginia Has Pledged To Purge DEI, But Undercover Video Shows It May Still Be Hiding On Campus

In the four years since Governor Glenn Youngkin’s pivotal 2021 victory, Virginia conservatives have scored massive wins against leftism on college campuses. But with voters heading to the polls on Tuesday, new footage shows that the remnants of diversity, equity, and inclusion may be quietly re-emerging at its flagship university.

In an undercover video obtained by The Daily Wire, a University of Virginia official is caught saying that the “DEI office has been changed in name,” only before laying out how DEI programs continue to be pushed at the university in other ways.

“The DEI office has been changed in name, and I think [it’s] probably going to be a little more taken down,” said Alex Winkowski, the assistant dean and director of fraternity and sorority life. “But like the Multicultural Student Services unit is still here. It wasn’t called DEI. I mean that’s why it wasn’t really touched for a while. People didn’t know where to look.”

“People think everything that’s DEI is called DEI, which is bonkers to me,” the assistant dean added. Asked if the Multicultural Student Center is a “safe haven” for DEI, Winkowski replied, “Oh, absolutely. Oh, yeah.”

UNDERCOVER VIDEO: University of Virginia official caught admitting that DEI finds a “safe haven” on campus.

“People didn’t know where to look.” pic.twitter.com/IQBN3xLi7e

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 3, 2025

The hidden-camera video was recorded in August, five months after UVA’s Board of Visitors voted to dissolve the university’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships.

The topic has been a hot-button issue at UVA in recent months. After the Trump administration began investigating colleges for pushing discriminatory programs and pressuring Virginia to end its DEI office, the university’s president, Jim Ryan, resigned. The Department of Justice reportedly demanded that Ryan resign to help settle an investigation into the university’s DEI practices. It’s still without a permanent replacement, months into the academic year.

In March, Governor Youngkin and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares praised UVA’s Board of Visitors for voting to close the school’s DEI office and “end illegal discriminatory practices.” The university also entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice last month, vowing that it would “not engage in unlawful racial discrimination in its university programming, admissions, hiring, or other activities.” Virginia also promised to provide the DOJ with quarterly data on its programming through 2028, adding that the university’s president “will personally certify each quarter that UVA is in compliance with the agreement.”

According to Winkowski, however, UVA’s Multicultural Student Center offers a cover for DEI programs to continue at the school. The Multicultural Student Center offers students a space where they can study or meet with other students. The center aims to “build community and encourage connection across diverse experiences.” The Multicultural Center is one of many student centers offered by Multicultural Student Services, a department that is dedicated to promoting diversity among the student body. The other student centers include the LGBTQ Center, Latinx Student Center, Interfaith Student Center, and Asian American Student Center.

“The LGBTQ Center here is very, very supported by alumni, to the point where they looked at the alumni support here and scholarships and [found] that we give more money than Harvard does to LGBTQ students who go here,” Winkowski said.

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Winkowski has spent much of his time at UVA developing “LGBTQ-related programs,” according to his bio on the university’s website. Winkowski’s bio refers to him as “they.”

The University of Virginia told The Daily Wire that Winkowski’s comments “do not represent official University policies or positions.”

“Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Students for Fair Admissions case and the federal administration’s issuance of related guidance, the University developed its own guidance for UVA schools and units to make clear that UVA does not tolerate discrimination in any form and that all programs, events, and spaces must be not only open, but genuinely welcoming to all people, regardless of race or other characteristics,” said university spokesman Brian Coy. “As part of that effort, the University has renamed some spaces, programs, and events in an effort to make absolutely clear that they are open and welcoming to all people.”

Coy added that Winkowski’s statements are not related “in any way” to the school’s agreement with the DOJ, adding that UVA remains committed to upholding the agreement.

“This hidden camera video was taken well before the University entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to suspend multiple civil rights violations and the content captured does not relate in any way to that agreement,” the spokesman said. “The agreement in question suspends 5 Department of Justice investigations and commits the University to follow the DOJ’s guidance on U.S. civil rights laws, as long as they are consistent with judicial decisions. The University is committed to honoring that agreement.”

The Daily Wire also asked UVA how it ensures that faculty and staff are following the DOJ’s guidance and not attempting to push DEI goals under other names. UVA has not responded to that question.

Winkowski’s comments are yet another example of how university administrators and faculty continue to prioritize DEI despite the Trump administration opening investigations into dozens of schools for alleged discriminatory practices. Earlier this year, The Daily Wire obtained a video showing a Vanderbilt University administrator admitting that the school is actively pursuing DEI goals, which would be in violation of President Donald Trump’s executive order on DEI.

“All the things that I would say are components of DEI work are part of what we do. Even if we don’t label everything as DEI work,” said G.L. Black, Vanderbilt’s vice provost for student affairs and dean of students. After The Daily Wire published an article on Black’s comments, Vanderbilt released a statement saying that it hired the law firm Baker Donelson, which “will be tasked with reviewing the specific circumstances related to the recordings and identifying steps the university can take to ensure all employees fully understand the university’s policies and consistently act in accordance.”

A University of Tennessee department head was also caught on camera boasting about DEI flying under the radar after the Trump administration’s crackdown. Casey A. Barrio Minton, professor and department head of counselor education, said that Tennessee’s “Access and Engagement” office, which used to be called the “Diversity and Inclusion” office, continues to push DEI.

In September, a controversy erupted at Texas A&M when a video obtained by The Daily Wire showed an English professor pushing pro-LGBT talking points during a children’s literature course that devoted considerable attention to sex, gender, and “queerness.” Texas A&M President Mark Welsh resigned after he was criticized for how he handled the controversy.