Ex-DEI university staffer wins $265K settlement after alleged hostility over her being white

A former DEI staffer at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire will receive a $265,000 settlement after she sued the school, alleging discrimination for being white.

Rochelle Hoffman, a former employee at UW-Eau Claire, brought the case in 2023 after she was promoted to interim director of the campus’s Multicultural Student Services office.

The school’s former vice chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Student Affairs, Olga Diaz, was allegedly told by students that a white woman was not fit to preside over a position intended to serve students of color. 

“You hired a white woman as the interim director?” one student allegedly said, according to a federal complaint against the university.

According to the complaint, a different student asked, “Do you personally feel white staff can do as effective a job as a person of color, within a space for people of color?”

Hoffman said she felt she had to resign after eight months of intense hostility and staff questioning her “legitimacy” after being promoted to interim director of the campus’s Multicultural Student Services office, the complaint states.

In December 2023, Hoffman sued the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The settlement notes that “any payment made hereunder is not to be construed as an admission of liability on the part of the Released Parties, and that the Released Parties herein deny liability or any wrongdoing and intend merely to avoid litigation and buy their peace.” 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hoffman said, “For over a decade, I’ve worked as a teacher in both K-12 and higher education, primarily serving first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students. While at UW–Eau Claire, I was honored to be appointed by Vice Chancellor Diaz as a DEI Program Director to expand data-informed academic interventions that improved retention and graduation rates among students of color.”

She added that, “Despite facing unlawful discrimination in that DEI role as a White woman, I remain steadfast in my belief that high-quality, accessible education — grounded in data and responsive to a changing workforce — is essential for all learners. I believe deeply in leading and teaching with integrity and in choosing the harder right over the easier wrong. My commitment to student-centered learning and academic excellence remains as strong as ever.”

Fox, Hoffman’s lawyer, told Fox News Digital, “We did not bring this case based on opposition to the university’s programs. This suit was brought because UW-Eau Claire had taken actions that unlawfully discriminated against an employee who championed those programs with substantial success. Such actions can undermine the credibility of the programs the University seeks to promote.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for comment.