California university requires 1,000-word DEI statement for baseball coach job

A California public university is requiring applicants for a part-time baseball coaching job to submit a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) statement that can run as long as 1,000 words.

California State University, San Bernardino, posted the job Aug. 19. The school is seeking a temporary pitching coach for its NCAA Division II baseball program.

Applicants must provide a resume and cover letter, along with college transcripts and three references.

On top of normal job application materials, candidates must explain how they understand DEI. Their statements must give examples of how the applicants’ backgrounds, education or work histories prepared them for the job. 

The posting does not say how the university will score the statement or whether an applicant who disagrees with DEI policies can still receive fair consideration.

“At CSUSB, diversity, equity and inclusion are values central to our mission,” the university says in the posting.

The job pays between $22,000 and $28,000 per year. Applicants need a bachelor’s degree and at least four years of coaching experience at the college level or above. A master’s degree is preferred.

The coach will be the main contact for recruiting players. Other duties include helping run practices, managing scholarships, raising money and making sure the team follows NCAA rules. The listed coaching duties do not mention DEI.

The requirement comes after California’s other public university system moved away from the practice. The University of California system stopped requiring DEI statements for new employees in March 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump took office and began ending DEI programs in government agencies and institutions that receive government funding, including schools.

“Today, the UC Board of Regents directed the University to eliminate any required diversity statements for new hires,” UC Regents Chair Janet Reilly said at the time.

Critics say the statements pressure applicants to repeat political views favored by university leaders.

“Many DEI statement policies can too easily function as ideological litmus tests that threaten employment or advancement for faculty holding dissenting views,” the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression says.

Heartlander News previously reported on how professors were evenly split on whether such statements were proper job requirements or political tests. The 2023 survey said 90% of conservative professors viewed them as political tests. Most politically moderate professors agreed.

The baseball application is part of a bigger effort at Cal State San Bernardino, which is located 60 miles east of Los Angeles. The school’s 2025-2026 DEI report says it created an “Equity Champions” program. It also identified DEI experts who can advise university hiring committees on how to incorporate equity into their work.