Posted on 02/18/2024 12:57:16 PM PST by george76
An undercover investigation reveals multiple Texas universities admitting they will continue DEI work despite the state’s ban..
A new investigation released by Accuracy in Media reveals how Texas universities are attempting to skirt a state law that bans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies in higher education.
Accuracy in Media (AIM)—an organization that empowers individuals to hold journalists, public officials, and private officials accountable—has released an undercover investigation showing multiple university officials saying they will continue DEI work under new names.
Senate Bill 17, which took effect in January, effectively prohibits Texas universities from hiring employees to “perform the duties” of a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) office and is supposed to block any promotion of policies, training, or activities “designed or implemented in reference to race, color, or ethnicity.”
Despite the law being in effect, multiple universities around Texas have been attempting to circumvent the law.
At the University of Texas at Tyler, Tarecka Payne, the Director of Student Belonging, told AIM’s undercover investigator that the university has had to change the name of its DEI department three times. She bragged that they can still do the DEI work, but they just have to be “creative.”
Similarly, Joe Posada-Triana, the Director of Underserved Students at the University of North Texas at Dallas, told the investigator that while the DEI office has been dissolved, the university is reclassifying the work under the word “belonging.” He added that their Diversity and Inclusion task force has been renamed the “belonging task force.”
At Tarleton State University, administrators have hidden their DEI initiatives under the “First Generation Initiative.” Academic Coordinator Marcus Brown said that the First Generation Initiative is already working with professors to train and bring DEI principles to students.
“First Gen is really DEI all wrapped in one,” said Brown.
At Texas Tech University, the DEI department is now being housed under the name “Campus Access and Engagement.” Jess Sanchez, the lead student success specialist, confirmed the new department, saying, “Campus Access and Engagement has been getting a lot of attention lately just because it’s the new [DEI] department, housing a lot of things that were under DEI.”
Furthermore, the University of Texas at Dallas is continuing to have a “transition closet” for students. Aimee Howell, the Admin Project Coordinator, stated that the closet luckily gets to stay because it’s not just for people in transition but also for pregnant and parenting students as well.
The University of Houston has also been able to sneak by the DEI law by passing down its Lavender graduation ceremony for LGBT students to one of its LGBT organizations, while faculty can still guide and advise the groups.
Although many universities admitted to continuing DEI work, others including West Texas A&M University and Texas State University said the departments have since been dissolved and they no longer teach or provide DEI initiatives on campus.
AIM President Adam Guillette told Texas Scorecard that DEI needs to be removed from all campuses, and administrators attempting to circumvent the law must be held accountable.
“Our investigation revealed that while some public colleges and universities in Texas are following the new law prohibiting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs, many school officials have found ways to circumvent it,” said Guillette. “DEI programs are a cancer that must be rooted out of our institutions, and that will require holding the radical administrators pushing this poisonous ideology accountable.”
Suspend the academic accreditation of the law-breaking schools.
Until there’s some REAL TEETH in these laws, they’re basically meaningless.
We play by the rules and they do as they damned well please. This isn’t going to end well .
Everyone working to ignore this law needs to be fired.
Fire all those responsible. Let’s stop playing games.
...as they should with any unjust law.
Abbott needs to cut their funding by 50% immediately...
If that doesn’t bring compliance, cut 50% of the remainder...
If that doesn’t bring compliance, convert the school grounds to migrant-invader-vermin holding tent cities...
It’s always that way.
You have to force a bureaucracy to change. They usually resist change.
They resisted some of the positive changes many years ago. Now that they went to the other far extreme with their wokeness and social justice, preaching white guilt, discriming against men and whites, they are resistant to go back to a middle ground where it’s a fair playing field for all.
“First Gen is really DEI all wrapped in one,”
YUP
That’s how California’s schools all mysteriously end up being 30% “hispanic” when their GPA and other “achievements” don’t even come close to comparing to the American or Asian kids.
Book ‘em Danno!
They plan to continue racism until they’re sued out of existence where they belong
They have finally come up with a legal and enforceable means against state employees joining with feds to ban guns or enable abortion. Lawsuits. So they should use the same technique against DEI, ESG, BDS (anti-Israel, and CRT.
That is, make all citizens eligible to *sue* those who promulgate or enable these things, if they do so “under the color of authority” of the state.
This would nail a slew of radical professors and teachers who use their state paid for podiums to rant at and radicalize their students, and punish non-conformity with radicalism.
I could be wrong but I don’t think “State” government could “suspend” their Academic Accreditation.
But, a law is a law and Abbot, via Paxton’s office, could send a couple Texas Rangers out to slap the cuffs on Tarecka, Marcus, Sanchez and Aimee PLUS cancel all State Financial Support of any kind or nature whatsoever.
sounds like some punishment needs to be meted out.
Home schooling and trade schools.
I quit about ten years ago.
“Hey, Abbott.” They’re laughing at you.
As with anything else, the left will stop breaking the law only when there are severe consequences for doing so.
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