Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at colleges and universities have existed for decades, with the purpose of improving the college experience and graduation rates for minority students. During 2020, conversations around social justice and the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) increased after the murder of George Floyd. In light of the most prominent public discourse in decades about racial injustice, corporations and institutions responded with renewed public commitments to DEI. Now almost four years later, we’re grappling with a wave of anti-DEI legislation targeting colleges and universities across the country including in many Southern states, posing a real threat to the success of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other minority students.
Since 2023, 84 bills have been filed targeting DEI initiative on public college campuses. Of those bills, 12 have been signed into law and 13 are awaiting state governors’ signatures. Anti-DEI policies differ from state to state. Some anti-DEI policies seek to defund university offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion, or prohibit the use of state funds for DEI initiatives. DEI offices and programs provide much needed resources to minority students; they are often a major source of funding and support for LGBTQ+ students groups. Other anti-DEI policies target diversity, equity, and inclusion training on college campuses for students, faculty and staff. Some policies prohibit colleges and universities from considering a student’s identity, such as their race, gender, or sexual orientation, when considering them for admission or scholarship programs.
Anti-DEI policies are already having a real impact in states where they have passed, including the closure of DEI offices and shut down of LGBTQ+ student centers.
In an effort to comply with Florida’s anti-DEI law, the University of Florida has closed its Office of the Chief of Diversity Officer, which resulted in the removal of 13 full-time DEI positions. The University of North Florida and Florida International University also removed their D.E.I. programs. In Texas, the University of Texas at Austin has closed its DEI office, resulting in the firing of around 60 administrators. Further, LGBTQ+ student centers at several universities in Texas have been shut down.
Some universities are taking a more strategic approach, simply renaming their DEI offices to get around new state policies. At the University of Tennessee, the campus D.E.I. program has been renamed the Division of Access and Engagement. Louisiana State University and the University of Oklahoma implemented similar re-names.
Now more than ever, it is vital that advocates for diversity and inclusion speak out to their local and state representatives about the real harm of anti-DEI bills.
Despite public outcry, officials are steadfast in creating and implementing policies that would disproportionately harm both BIPOC and LGBTQ students. With the removal of such departments from college campuses, students within these communities will be left without inclusive environments centered on protecting and supporting them throughout their academic tenure. For students who come from backgrounds underrepresented on college campuses, support is vital to their academic and overall growth and retention in spaces they were traditionally not welcomed in.
Florida and Texas were two of the first Southern states to pass anti-DEI legislation. Unfortunately, other states in the region are following their lead. In 2024, more Southern states have advanced and passed anti-DEI legislation – including Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky and more.
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