How could (and how would) the University of Virginia begin tracking political and religious affiliation?

Conservatives with ties to Virginia’s higher education system say that students and faculty at the state’s flagship university may reflect a diversity of race and gender but not of religion and politics.

Now, with seats on the governing board at the University of Virginia and the power to do something about it, they have started to float new ideas to change diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives at the school.

One of those proposals: Track the political and religious affiliations of students and faculty the same way race and gender are already tracked.

Leading the charge is Richmond businessman Douglas Wetmore, who Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed to the UVa Board of Visitors in 2022.

“How come we don’t have dashboards that track, for example, the political ideology of the campus population?” asked Wetmore at June 2 board meeting. “Why wouldn’t we do that to try to convince ourselves that we have balance and that we’re serving the full range of needs from our constituents as a leading public university?”