Earlier this month I wrote about the University of Texas which was laying off around 60 employees in order to belatedly comply with a state law prohibiting DEI. I say belatedly because the law in question took effect at the beginning of the year but it seems UT’s first reaction wasn’t to get rid of DEI offices and employees but instead to simply rebrand them. For instance, at the University of Texas the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement was renamed the Division of Campus and Community Engagement.
But one of the authors of SB 17, the Texas DEI prohibition, caught wind of what was happening and sent schools in Texas a letter making it clear that renaming offices and shuffling staff titles would not be enough to comply with the law.
The letter warns that any attempts to circumvent SB 17’s provisions by merely renaming DEI offices or positions will not be tolerated. The…
