How do you interpret DEI? There was the EO explicitly laid out the details. I don't remember it off the top of my head.
It's okay. I'm asking for your understanding of it. Yeah, my understanding was exactly what was written in the EO.
Okay. So, can you I don't remember what was in the EO. So, right now, do you have an understanding of what DEI is?
Yeah. Okay. Okay.
So, what's your understanding as you sit here today in this deposition? Um, well, it it was exactly what was written in the EO. And so, anytime that we would look at a grant through the lens of complying with an executive order, we would just refer back to the EO, right?
And assess if this grant had relation to it. Okay. But I guess I'm stepping back from your uh methodology strictly and terminating the grants.
Do you have an understanding as you sit here today of what DEI means? Yeah. Okay.
So, what's your understanding of what it means? Well, I it it is exactly what was written in the EO. Okay.
So, and I don't have the EO in front of me, but that was we would always reference back to the EO and make sure that this grant was in compliance with the EO. I understand that. Okay.
But I'm not asking necessarily about what was in the EO. M I'm asking very specifically about your present understanding of what of of DEI. Mhm.
Do you have a present understanding of DEI? Okay. Can you explain what that present understanding is?
Um well, it is just easier for me to be referencing back to the EO. Are you refusing to answer the question? I'm not refusing to answer the question.
I I I just feel that referencing back to the verbatim executive order was the best way for us to capture all of the DEI language and so I think giving a a highle overview of what I could relay as DEI is not going to do justice what was written in the EO and that's okay. We can look at the EO as well. I'm asking you for I mean this is a deposition.
I'm asking you questions. You're under oath and you're required to answer them. So what what is your understanding of what DEI means?
Well I I think I would say again that I I would go back to the EO to make sure I'm capturing enough. I don't I don't feel comfortable saying a high level overview because it is such a big bucket and there's just a lot of pieces of the puzzle. What's a part of the bucket?
um gender fluidity. Um sort of promoting um like promoting subsets of LGBTQ plus that might um alienate another part of a community. Um, again, it was just easier for us to reference back into the EO.
Okay. So, and I don't want to give you a broad overview because it's like the end of the day it it is capturing it is all-encompassing in the EO. It's how we it's how we did our methodology, right?
Do you always refer to EOS to gain an understanding of words used in your typical daily vernacular? Objection. What do you mean?
You you say that you have an understanding of what DEI means and when I ask you, you say you need to reference the EO. Do you need to reference EOS to define every word you use in your everyday life? Objection.
No. Okay. So what's stopping you from defining DEI to your understanding as you sit here today on January 28th, 2026?
It wouldn't be capturing enough of how big the topic is. DEI is a very broad structure.
