Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the United States continue to come under increasing attack. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2023 that race could not be considered in college admissions decisions, many universities have scaled back their DEI efforts and, in some cases, dismantled them altogether.¹ Other universities have rebranded their programs. The University of Alabama at Birmingham now calls its former DEI program the Office of Access and Engagement. The University of Kansas changed the title for the vice provost of DEI to vice provost for community engagement. It is likely that their goals remain similar: to increase the numbers of historically underrepresented groups and improve access for students regardless of socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, there are early signs of declining enrolment amongst these groups at several institutions. ^2,3

Like the rest of the country, the SNACC EDI Committee feels the stress of the increased scrutiny of such initiatives. We learned that several DEI committees of other anesthesia subspecialty societies have recently elected to change their names. Our Committee discussed this option and concluded that it seemed prudent to undertake a rebranding as well. Committee member Christian Tavares came up with some brilliant impromptu options during our last meeting. A survey was sent out to the full Committee and the members voted to change our name to the overwhelmingly popular choice CORE: Culture, Openness, Resilience, and Empowerment. The members loved how it really captures all the goals of our Committee. We would like to stress that our mission and aims have not changed: to create a welcoming and engaging environment for all SNACC members, colleagues, and trainees so that we can all live up to our full potential. As always, we would like to thank the SNACC membership and the Executive Committee for their ongoing support.

Hope everyone is able to find some time to relax and enjoy the summer and look forward to seeing you all at the 2025 SNACC Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

1. Getzinger E, Hicks M, Dutton A, Smith J. “Tracking Higher Ed’s Dismantling of DEI.” Chron Higher Ed, 30 May, 2025, https://www.chronicle.com/article/tracking-higher-eds-dismantling-of-dei.
2. Hartocollis, Anemona; Saul, Stephanie (Aug 21, 2024). “At M.I.T., Black and Latino Enrollment Drops Sharply After Affirmative Action Ban”. The New York Times.
3. Svrluga, Susan (Sept 11, 2024). “Harvard’s Black enrollment drops after Supreme Court ruling”. The Washington Post.