University of Texas professors demand reversal of layoffs in closed DEI initiative

Texas professors estimate 60 positions cut in violation of employees’ rights to academic freedom, due process and free speech

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A gaggle of professors is demanding that the University of Texas reverse course this week on job cuts amid the shutdown of a diversity, equity and inclusion program that was impacted by one of probably the most widespread bans on such initiatives in the country.

Officials on the 52,000-student university, one of the biggest college campuses in the U.S., didn’t say what number of jobs were eliminated. University President Jay Hartzell told the campus in a letter this week that additional measures can be taken to comply with the brand new state law. He said the university plans to shut its campus and community engagement department, which runs programs that support student learning and community constructing.

Hartzell’s statement also said that associate deans and associate deans who focused on DEI initiatives will return to their full-time faculty positions, and positions for workers who supported them will now not be funded.

The chapter of the American Association of University Professors estimated that 60 people in DEI positions on campus had been laid off, but didn’t say how that number got here about. In a letter sent Thursday, the group argued that the cuts violate employees’ rights to academic freedom, due process and free speech. He also criticized what he called the shortage of transparency in how decisions were made and the the explanation why the school council’s comments weren’t taken into consideration.

“While this was clearly not the intention, such actions may lead to a loss of trust and a perception of dishonesty,” the letter said.

The changes come after public universities in Texas were forced to make quick changes to comply with a brand new law passed last yr by the Republican-controlled state House. Known as Senate Bill 17, it’s one of the strictest bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and went into effect on January 1.

School officials didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment Friday. This week, the university declined to reply questions on the number of faculty and staff affected by the cuts.

The recent Texas law applies to greater than 30 Texas public institutions that serve greater than 600,000 higher education students. Prohibits universities from influencing hiring practices through affirmative motion and other approaches that keep in mind applicants’ race, gender or ethnicity. It also prohibits the promotion of “differential” or “preferential” treatment or so-called “special” advantages for people based on those categories and prohibits training and activities conducted “with respect to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation.”

At least five other states have already passed their very own bans. This yr, Republican lawmakers in greater than a dozen other states are pushing to enact various restrictions on diversity initiatives, a move some hope will mobilize voters this election yr. The laws focuses totally on higher education, although some also restrict DEI efforts in K-12 schools, state government, contracting and retirement investing.

The decision by University of Texas leaders to shut the campus community engagement department got here days after Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton, who authored the bill, sent letters to the regents of multiple public university systems inviting them to testify before state lawmakers in regards to the changes adapted to the brand new law.

Creighton also warned that simply changing the name of programs wouldn’t be considered compliance and reiterated that failure to comply may lead to varsities losing funding.

!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||(),g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){ g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“film-recommended-film”,”true”)})}();

Featured Stories

The post University of Texas professors demand reversal of worker layoffs over stalled DEI initiative appeared first on TheGrio.