The layoffs were prompted by a diversity, equity, and inclusion ban that went into effect in January.
The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) announced on Tuesday that it was firing dozens of people who used to work in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at the university. At least 60 total staff members were laid off — 40 of whom worked in the Division of Campus and Community Engagement, which is closing.
In a joint letter, Texas NAACP and the Texas Conference of American Association of University Professors (AAUP) said that none of the staff who were fired currently work in DEI. The letter also says that the organizations see the layoffs as “potential attacks on First Amendment freedoms” and as clear retaliation that shows that “racial and ethnic discrimination was the clear purpose of this action.”
Professors at UT-Austin saw the firings as a “purge” that disproportionately affected staff from marginalized backgrounds.
“I can’t help but see this as a purge of any staff who have training in DEI — literally like a McCarthy-era purge — because none of the staff who’ve been fired have any DEI in their portfolio right now,” said Karma Chávez, the chair of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies. “All they had is a history of being in a DEI-related position.”
Colleges in Texas are banned from having DEI programs to build, support, and maintain a diverse campus.
The subject can still be included in instruction for now, and when I wrote my syllabus this year I added a DEI section regarding my expectations of student behavior and thoughts about our state government.