Southern Methodist University (SMU) has denied running a "hidden" diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programme after undercover footage, released by conservative group Accuracy in Media and shared by school-choice activist Corey DeAngelis, showed a staff member describing efforts to keep such initiatives less visible. The footage allegedly shows the university renamed its "Office of Diversity and Inclusion" to the "Office of Cultural Intelligence" as part of a broader effort to continue DEI-style work discreetly. The story matters because it comes amid a wider Trump administration push to restrict DEI programmes at federally funded institutions, with universities facing pressure to scale back or rename such initiatives or risk losing funding.

In the video, staff member Danielle Palomo, a student affairs coordinator, is heard saying the university has had "to do a lot of maneuvering in order to remain kinda hidden" and that it is "slowly working to rename things and maybe do away with things." Although SMU is a private institution, it reportedly holds 164 active federal grants worth nearly $30 million from agencies including the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, and Education, and its research spending has more than tripled since 2010. In response, an SMU spokesperson said the university does not operate a hidden DEI programme, stating its "Cultural Intelligence" framework was adopted in 2017 to foster cross-cultural communication and mutual respect, and that all programmes are regularly reviewed for legal compliance.