A week after state Sen. Brandon Creighton warned Texas university system
administrators 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 � the University of Texas has laid off at least 60
staff members who previously worked in diversity, equity and inclusion-
related positions, according to three people with knowledge of the
terminations.

UT has not confirmed to the American-Statesman the number of staff
positions that have been eliminated or how many employees will be laid
off, but on Tuesday afternoon, a person 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, people familiar with the terminations told the Statesman. UT
did not respond to a Statesman request for comment.

UT 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."

Hartzell said the remaining programs will be redistributed among other
divisions. He said funding that previously supported DEI initiatives will
now be redirected to "support teaching and research." Student support,
however, will be available for the rest of the semester.

"The positions that provided support for those associate and assistant
deans and a small number of staff roles across campus that were formerly
focused on DEI will no longer be funded," Hartzell said.

Hartzell added in his email that the Division of Student Affairs will work
to ensure student-facing support lasts through the rest of the semester as
do student workers' positions, and that "staff members whose positions are
being eliminated will have the opportunity to apply and be considered for
existing open positions at the University, and resources will be made
available to support them."

The university did not clarify how many or which programs and positions
have been eliminated.

Why are changes influenced by SB 17 still being made?
SB 17 bans DEI offices, initiatives and employees from fulfilling those
functions at Texas public universities and colleges. In Creighton�s March
26 letter to university system chancellors and boards of regents, he
expressed disappointment that some colleges might just be changing office
names and titles as part of their compliance, and he cautioned that �this
letter should serve as notice that this practice is unacceptable.� He
warned administrators that lawmakers can take legal action and even freeze
state funding for their institutions if they do not fully comply with SB
17.

"Recognized as the most robust DEI prohibition in the nation, this bill
mandates a fundamental shift in the operation of our higher education
institutions," Creighton said in his letter.

A UT department chair who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they
were not authorized to discuss the terminations publicly, told the
Statesman that they were contacted by their dean Tuesday morning to notify
them that an employee in the department would be terminated. That
employee, according to the chair, had previously worked in a DEI-related
role but was reassigned to a new position and duties as part of the
school's compliance with SB 17.

In previous communications about the anti-DEI law, Hartzell had assured
the community that the school will continue to support all students while
complying with the law. Hartzell, since December, had not addressed the
university community about the school's continued efforts to comply with
SB 17 until Tuesday when he announced the Division of Campus and Community
Engagement was shutting down.

'Y'all are taking away lifesaving services'
UT senior Bibi Macias, a first-generation college student involved in
student agencies previously housed in the now-shuttered Multicultural
Engagement Center, said the news of staff members losing their jobs and as
well as the Division of Campus and Community Engagement (formerly
Diversity and Community Engagement Division) closing is "disgusting."

"Heartbreaking and devastating don't begin to cover my feelings about it,"
Macias said. "Y'all are taking away lifesaving services."

As a first-generation student, Macias said, the Community Engagement
Division has been an important resource for her. She said its support had
a drastic impact on students' experience and comfort on campus. But she
also worries about the staff members, who have dedicated so much to
support students.

"They're messing with people's lives," Macias said.

Students and professors have accused the university of overcomplying with
the law � UT has shut down programs like Monarch, which helped
undocumented students navigate school applications, internships and
financial aid; and shuttered the Multicultural Engagement Center, which
served as a �home away from home� for students of multiple multicultural
identities and was open to everyone. They've argued that SB 17 and the
university's compliance with it is creating a chilling effect on
recruitment and retention - Macias fears it will affect graduation rates
for marginalized student groups.

Some conservative lawmakers, who have celebrated ending DEI programs at
universities and colleges, have said the Legislature's work to end "woke"
policies, or identity politics, at institutions of higher learning is not
finished.

UT, like all public universities, went through drastic changes in the
weeks and months leading up to SB 17's Jan. 1 effective date. In December,
UT announced it was replacing its Gender and Sexuality Center with the
Women�s Community Center, shifting the center's focus from LGBTQ+ issues
to gender-related matters.

�With its depth, breadth and extraordinary expertise, the Division of
Campus and Community Engagement will continue to distinguish UT Austin as
uniquely capable of meeting the demands of a rapidly changing campus,
state and world,� LaToya Smith, vice president of campus and community
engagement, said in an email to the school community in December about the
division's changes. �We are here for all.�

Macias, who is involved in the QTBIPOCA and Latinx Community Affairs
student agencies that lost UT sponsorship before Jan. 1, said SB 17
creates more pressure for students to create and maintain safe spaces for
historically underrepresented and marginalized peoples. Macias's younger
sister, a UT freshman, won't have the resources she did, she said.

"How do we survive as these institutions within UT?" Macias asked.

https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/04/02/texas-
senate-bill-17-anti-dei-ut-fires-four-staff-related-positions-two-sources-
confirm/73179902007/