Weekly civic intelligence report · v2.2
West Virginia University shuts down its DEI office following state ban, with students expressing concerns about university's future direction.
Single-state administrative policy change implementing DEI office closure. Constitutional damage limited: civil_rights=3 (institutional equity infrastructure removal affects protected class access), rule_of_law=2 (executive directive compliance), capture=2 (ideological policy enforcement), separation=1 (state-level executive action on education). Policy_change mechanism adds 15% modifier, single_state scope reduces by 15%. Severity: durability=1.1 (reversible with admin change but sets precedent), reversibility=0.95 (office can be reinstated), precedent=1.05 (part of broader anti-DEI trend). Final A=9.42. B-score elevated by culture war framing: outrage_bait=7 (DEI is polarizing topic), media_friendliness=6 (fits existing narratives), pattern_match=7 (part of multi-state trend). Intentionality=8 for culture war positioning. Final B=21.89. Both scores below 25 threshold, clear culture war proxy issue with limited constitutional mechanism, qualifies as Noise despite real policy impact.
Monitor for: (1) litigation challenging ban's constitutionality, (2) federal civil rights investigations into discriminatory impact, (3) pattern expansion to other state institutions, (4) measurable impacts on protected class enrollment/outcomes. Escalate if legal challenges reveal broader constitutional violations or if policy becomes template for federal-level action.