Rochelle Hoffman, who is white, sued the school after she became the interim director of the campus’s Multicultural Student Services office. That lawsuit, filed in 2023, detailed multiple instances of students saying Hoffman was not fit for a position serving students of color.
According to the complaint, one student allegedly asked Olga Diaz, the school’s former vice chancellor for equity, diversity, inclusion, and student affairs, “You hired a White woman as the interim director?”
Another student allegedly asked Diaz if “white staff” can do as well “within a space for people of color.”
Hoffman later felt compelled to resign as a result of the pressure and other staff questioning her “legitimacy,” the complaint says.
In a statement to Fox News after the settlement, Hoffman said, although she faced “unlawful discrimination” while serving in her DEI role, she is still “steadfast in my belief that high-quality, accessible education … is essential for all learners.”
“I believe deeply in leading and teaching with integrity and in choosing the harder right over the easier wrong. My commitment to student-centered learning and academic excellence remains as strong as ever,” Hoffman added.
Hoffman’s lawyer also said they did not bring the lawsuit as a measure of opposition to DEI or the school’s programs, but because the college “unlawfully discriminated against an employee who championed those programs with substantial success.”
“Such actions can undermine the credibility of the programs the University seeks to promote,” her lawyer added.
The settlement comes as the Trump administration has targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and policies at universities across the United States.
Specifically, the administration has brought Title VII violations against schools that it believes are using DEI practices in faculty hiring and general student guidance, among other things.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FINDS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY VIOLATED CIVIL RIGHTS LAW
The Department of Justice recently announced a civil rights investigation into the University of California, alleging its faculty hiring practices violated civil rights law. The school used its “UC 2030 Capacity Plan” to allegedly expand the university’s tenure-track faculty rapidly while prioritizing demographic diversity.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is located in western Wisconsin. It has over 9,000 enrolled students and is predominantly white.
