Hate crimes policy flap ends with UNLV administrator moved to faculty post

UNLV’s Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, whose controversial hate crimes policy angered many faculty, is no longer serving in the post.

Christine Clark will assume a faculty role, the Review-Journal learned late today.

Former university President David Ashley hired Clark to launch the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which garnered the wrath of free speech advocates when the office proposed a hate crimes policy that included a section on so-called “bias incidents.”

Some feared the policy would stifle free speech, and the section was scrapped.

Clark’s transition came just a month after Ashley was demoted to the faculty.

New UNLV president Neal Smatresk said in an e-mail to UNLV officials that he’s asked Clark to assist him with the search for the next Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion.

Smatresk praised Clark in the missive and said she returns to her full professor role in the College of Education and will serve as Senior Scholar in Multicultural Education.

She will retain the title of Founding Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, the e-mail said.

Smatresk cited accomplishments such as establishing “key equity- and diversity-related structures at the system, campus-wide, and college levels, as well as with community stakeholder groups” as well as broadening “campus diversity and inclusion programming.”

“Clearly, Dr. Clark has created a blueprint for us to build on as we move diversity and inclusion forward at UNLV,” the e-mail said.