A university in Texas is triggering massive staff layoffs months after a statewide ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public colleges took effect.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Republican, warned Texas university system administrators last week about the state’s expectations for higher education institutions to comply with Senate Bill 17, an anti-DEI law that went into effect in January. Now, the University of Texas at Austin has laid off at least 60 staff members who previously worked in DEI-related positions, two people with knowledge of the terminations confirmed to the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The University of Texas has not confirmed to the Statesman the number of staff positions that have been eliminated or how many employees will be laid off. But on Tuesday afternoon, one of the people with knowledge of the terminations said at least 60 people have lost their jobs, 40 of them in the Division of Campus and Community Engagement alone. The layoffs are effective in 90 days or more, the people familiar with the terminations told the Statesman. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the terminations publicly. UT did not respond to a Statesman request for comment.
UT Austin is also closing the Division of Campus and Community Engagement, previously known as the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. President Jay Hartzell said in an email to the UT community on Tuesday afternoon, which was obtained by the Statesman, that though the school made changes before Jan. 1 to comply with SB 17, “we knew that more work would be required to utilize our talent and resources most effectively in support of our teaching and research missions, and ultimately, our students.”
“The new law has changed the scope of some programs on campus, making them broader and creating duplication with long-standing existing programs supporting students, faculty, and staff,” Hartzell said. “Following those reviews, we have concluded that additional measures are necessary to reduce overlaps, streamline student-facing portfolios, and optimize and redirect resources into our fundamental activities of teaching and research.”
The decision is yet another escalation in the mounting attacks on programs that benefit marginalized groups in higher education. In red states like Texas and Florida, anti-DEI laws have shuttered safe spaces for LGBTQ students in the past year and triggered fears that professors and students would flee to more liberal states.
