Texas public colleges and universities have closed their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices as a new state law has taken effect.
Senate Bill 17, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last year, eliminates DEI offices at public colleges and universities. Public institutions receiving state funds are no longer permitted to allow race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity to influence admissions, hiring, and training practices.
The new law essentially blocks state-funded institutions of higher learning from promoting or providing special benefits, programs, training, activities, or hiring practices regarding race, sex, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
“SB 17 will close DEI offices on the campuses of state-funded colleges and universities and put an end to all activities that discriminate against students based on their race, ethnicity, or gender,” state Sen. Brandon Creighton said in a statement when the bill was signed into law in June 2023. The Republican senator authored the legislation.
Public institutions are required to follow state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
‘New Path Ahead’
Many public institutions of higher learning across the state, including Texas A&M University and the University of Texas in San Antonio (UTSA), have shuttered their DEI offices and reassigned staff to other offices.In December, Texas A&M University assured its staff and students that it would be in full compliance with the law by the effective date, according to a message posted on the website.
UTSA has established a new office dubbed the “Office of Campus and Community Belonging,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy in a campuswide announcement last month.
“I’m writing today to share a new path ahead that upholds the law while still advancing our core values to ensure a welcoming, collaborative, and supportive environment where all faculty, staff, and students can thrive,” Mr. Eighmy wrote.
The new office will be focused on three pillars: “ADA and Accessibility,” “Campus Climate,” and “Community Partnership Bridges,” according to the announcement.
“The office’s first pillar, ADA and Accessibility, will serve as the university’s focal point to coordinate and connect established campus-wide systems, programs, and processes designed to support accessibility for our community members.
“The second pillar, Campus Climate, will take a proactive approach to maintaining a welcoming environment to enhance the student, staff, and faculty experience,” the letter continued. “Lastly, the third pillar, Community Partnership Bridges, will work to increase access to higher education for community members across San Antonio.”
‘Out of Step’
DEI supporter Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, says Texas’ new law is “out of step” with the increasing diversity across the globe.“This is out of step with the majority of the global population because the world is not becoming less diverse; it’s becoming more diverse,” Mr. Sorrell told WFAA-TV.
Mr. Sorrell, 57, who has led the historically black college since 2007, does not believe DEI initiatives fuel racism.
“DEI programs are not racist. Racism requires an element of power to enforce one’s prejudiced views. DEI programs are a response to the implementation of racist practices and policies. They exist to help attract diverse employees to places where diversity languishes,” Mr. Sorrell wrote in a social media post on Wednesday.
The college president said he believes the function of DEI is to ensure fairness, not indoctrination, within the public institution.
“The idea is that they are people who are working to make sure the institution functions in its most equitable and fair state,” Mr. Sorrell told WFAA-TV. “They are not there to ‘indoctrinate’ anyone about anything other than what should be fundamentally Christian principles. You cannot look at the data and arrive at the conclusion that those things are being done without additional help.”
