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UT Austin lays off dozens who worked in DEI roles, citing new state law
https://www.washingtonpost.com ^ | Apr 3, 2024

Posted on 04/09/2024 9:47:13 PM PDT by 11th_VA

The University of Texas at Austin is laying off dozens of employees who previously worked in diversity, equity and inclusion roles in response to a state law that banned such programs, according to the Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

Employees who had previously worked in DEI roles received layoff notices Tuesday. That came months after the university had reassigned them from those positions to comply with the legislation, which went into effect Jan. 1. The school declined to provide a specific tally of the number of people affected, though the AAUP said 60 is a “conservative estimate.” “None of the staff who received pink slips are currently working in DEI-related jobs,” Brian Evans, a UT professor and interim president of the Texas chapter of the AAUP, and Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, said in a joint statement. “These terminations clearly are intended to retaliate against employees because of their previous association with DEI.”

The layoffs came days after a conservative state legislator warned state universities to comply with the law banning DEI offices on campus, known as Senate Bill 17. The university president cited that law in announcing via email Tuesday that UT Austin would also close its Division of Campus and Community Engagement. At least 40 of those who were told they would be laid off used to work in that office, which supports an array of inclusion efforts, according to the advocates...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: college; dei; die; education; texas
Feel good story of the day …
1 posted on 04/09/2024 9:47:13 PM PDT by 11th_VA
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To: 11th_VA

Conservative detractors of the law complained that it was watered down and contained no real enforcement mechanism (and I believed them, and agreed; ref https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/05/whats-the-matter-with-texas.php).

It’s interesting to me that UT, undoubtedly knowing the law was deficient in enforcement mechanisms, canned DEI staff anyway.

That suggests (to me, anyway) that the DEI function is in reality a thorn in the administration’s side and however “woke” these administrators are, they’re A-OK with blaming the law but using it to clean out this dysfunctional DEI nonsense anyway.

I’ll take it!! :-)


2 posted on 04/09/2024 10:13:33 PM PDT by Nervous Tick ("First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people...": ISLAM is the problem!)
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To: 11th_VA

That’s a lot of dead wood. No wonder things cost so much.


3 posted on 04/09/2024 10:24:43 PM PDT by HIDEK6 (God bless Donald Trump. A)
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To: Nervous Tick

Or it means they can easily disguise their DEI intentions within the greater bureaucracy.


4 posted on 04/09/2024 10:25:34 PM PDT by Texas_Jarhead
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To: 11th_VA

DEI=Democrats’ Evil Intentions


5 posted on 04/09/2024 10:25:53 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Biden regime.)
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To: 11th_VA

60? I’m sure they could easily root out 600 and maybe even 6,000.

They are hiding them.


6 posted on 04/09/2024 10:27:38 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“When exposing a crime is treated like a crime, you are being ruled by criminals” – Edward SnowdenA)
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To: 11th_VA

As far as I know, it has never been explained exactly what these 60 DEI employees did each day. They didn’t teach, they didn’t do research, wtf did they do?


7 posted on 04/09/2024 10:30:14 PM PDT by The people have spoken (Proud member of Hillary's basket of deplorables)
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To: 11th_VA

On with the show.


8 posted on 04/09/2024 10:41:00 PM PDT by Buck-Toothed Knuckle Dragger
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To: The people have spoken

Eavesdropped for evidence of wrongthink and counted minorities at bus stops.


9 posted on 04/09/2024 10:45:44 PM PDT by Buck-Toothed Knuckle Dragger
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To: 11th_VA

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch.


10 posted on 04/09/2024 10:56:21 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: 11th_VA

These must pretty much be unskilled people, worthy only of canning once their phony jobs were cancelled.


11 posted on 04/09/2024 11:13:23 PM PDT by citizen (Put all LBQTwhatever programming on a new subscription service: PERV-TThose look good)
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To: citizen
"worthy only of canning once their phony jobs were cancelled"

Didn't Blazing Saddles cover that?

12 posted on 04/09/2024 11:18:28 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: TBP

👍👍👍👍👍


13 posted on 04/10/2024 12:56:06 AM PDT by Mark17 (Retired USAF air traffic controller. Father of USAF Captain & pilot. Both bitten by the aviation bug)
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To: 11th_VA

Halleluiah! hope this is a trend


14 posted on 04/10/2024 2:37:05 AM PDT by ronnie raygun
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To: 11th_VA

The last line states that at least 40 worked in that department. This smells like fake compost news. There is a paywall so you don’t even know if they are receiving pay.


15 posted on 04/10/2024 3:46:44 AM PDT by momincombatboots (BQEphesians 6... who you are really at war with.)
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To: 11th_VA
...adding that funding previously used for DEI will be used for teaching and research.

Using university funding for teaching and research. What a concept! Hopefully, it will catch on.

16 posted on 04/10/2024 4:55:03 AM PDT by KevinB (Word for the day: "kakistocracy" - a society governed by its least suitable or competent citizens)
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To: 11th_VA

No because they were WORTHLESS


17 posted on 04/10/2024 5:35:09 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: 11th_VA

Those implementing the new law also sent a written warning to Aholes in charge. After the law was passed the Aholes re-named the DIE depts — to duck the law. So, they got a letter telling them that such shenanigans would not cut it and there would be an audit in May.

Sometimes yah just need to smack ‘em upside the head.


18 posted on 04/10/2024 6:13:28 AM PDT by bobbo666 (Baizuo, )
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To: TBP

DEI = Didn’t Earn It.


19 posted on 04/10/2024 11:35:03 AM PDT by VideoPaul
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