SUNY professor outraged by social justice course requirement for graduation: 'We need to stand up'

A professor in The State University of New York (SUNY) system is calling out "divisive" new social justice course requirements for students to graduate.

Suffolk County Community College political science professor Nicholas Giordano, who first reported the requirement, joined "Fox & Friends" Thursday as SUNY prepares to enact a new policy requiring all new students take courses related to social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"It's extremely divisive," Giordano said of the program set to begin in Fall 2023 for 64 state schools. "Higher education needs to recognize enrollment's down, companies are dropping degree requirements, and it's all through self-inflicted wounds like this." 

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Members of the SUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution in November 2021 outlining the addition of several required courses, which included a new social justice category.

A memorandum sent to SUNY presidents in December 2021 states that through the diversity course requirement, students will be able to "analyze the role that complex networks of social structures and systems play in the creation and perpetuation of the dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity."

"I think the biggest problem is that when you start changing student learning objectives to meet these requirements, there's no debate or discussion… it's almost as if it's an absolute," Giordano, a Campus Reform higher education fellow, responded.

"What it does is it tribalizes society, puts identity above the American identity, put everyone in their little groups. And tribal societies don't work. And that's exactly what they're doing. You're either party oppressed or you are the oppressor."

Giordano said America is "a unique nation" where people from different backgrounds can coexist together and argued universities are "destroying" that framework.

"Now they're saying that these institutions, well they're against you, and they're racist, and they're part of an evil cabal since the beginning of our history, 250 years of recorded history. And so when we look at this, what's going to be the response towards the country that these students are living in, and how does this prepare them for the workforce?"

"It's been going on for far too long," he said. "We need to stand up."

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. argued the requirement will help prepare students for professional life.

"Exposure to and understanding of diversity is essential to success in our modern society and economy. As a leader in preparing the future workforce and citizenry, SUNY is committed to embedding diversity into the foundation of all it does – from academics to campus life and everything in between. By recognizing and celebrating our diversity and fostering respectful dialogue and debate, SUNY provides students with the world-class education they deserve," King said.

Fox News' Adam Sabes contributed to this report