AUSTIN (KXAN) — When students at the University of Texas at Austin return to classes on Jan. 16, they may notice a name change at one of the campus offices.
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement is dropping the word “diversity” to now become the Division of Campus and Community Engagement. This is one of the ways university leaders are working to comply with Senate Bill 17, which was one of 30 new state laws that took effect on Jan. 1.
The law requires public universities in Texas to no longer have offices dedicated to DEI, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion, or employees focused specifically on that purpose. Higher education workers and job applicants also can no longer sign any statements dedicated to upholding DEI or attend trainings that reference “race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation,” according to the law.
Supporters argued last year during the regular legislative session that the state needed this law to eliminate a political ideology from higher education.
Before SB 17 went into effect, Dr. LaToya Smith, UT’s vice president for diversity and community engagement, sent out a message about her office’s name change. “While we continue the work to adjust programming to meet SB 17’s requirements and reflect this change in our focus, it is important to reiterate what will not change: our Division’s commitment to fostering access and belonging,” Smith wrote in her statement.
Other public universities throughout the state are making similar decisions to either revamp their programs or outright remove them because of this new law.
The president of the University of Texas at San Antonio shared in a message Tuesday that the school would not repurpose its Office of Inclusive Excellence.
“After continued and considered evaluation, we decided not to launch the new office,” President Taylor Eighmy said in his statement. “Given our evolving understanding of SB 17 as well as continuing voluntary changes in staffing and personnel reappointments from that office, it no longer made sense to launch the new office.”
Eighmy instead said certain services and activities would be rehoused within existing departments. A spokesperson for UT San Antonio did not respond to a request for clarification Thursday morning, though, about how many people’s jobs would be impacted by this or whether they’re now working in other departments at the university.
Meanwhile, the University of North Texas announced in December that it’s “developing a new structure that incorporates the staff and future work of the Multicultural Center and Pride Alliance into the student engagement area of Student Affairs to ensure the university continues to best serve our students and meet their needs.” President Neal Smatresk said the university would create a new Center for Belonging and Engagement.
“In aligning with the requirements of this new law, UNT will continue to support all students, including our first-generation, low-income, and underserved students,” Smatresk said. “We will ensure any university-developed programs or activities are designed and implemented without reference to race, color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
As these changes unfold, different groups are monitoring how closely Texas universities are following the new law as well as which efforts may be considered overreach.
KXAN’s Will DuPree will take an in-depth look at both sides of those efforts in a story that will air on KXAN News at 6 p.m.
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