Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

In Texas, more than 45% of teachers are people of color, according to a new dashboard released Tuesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality, compared to nearly 74% of students. And the gap could worsen if fewer people of color pursue careers in education.

The University of North Texas provost told the faculty senate on Wednesday that media coverage of recent course title changes to align with a state ban on DEI initiatives were misconstrued.

Professors and instructors say the university is preemptively censoring itself after administrators removed references to race and equity in dozens of College of Education course titles and descriptions.

Sources told KUT that roughly a quarter of those working in the University Marketing and Communications department were let go. The university told employees it needed to focus on “managing reputational issues.”

The University of North Texas removed a reference to “diversity, equity and inclusion” from the policy regarding academic freedom and responsibility to comply with the state's ban on DEI initiatives at public universities.

Under a new law, Texas universities and colleges had to end their DEI programs, including scaling back and, in some cases, shuttering resource centers that served LGBTQ+ students.

The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.

Texas is among several states that have rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — programs at state colleges and universities. As a result, every Texas public college closed DEI departments in January, and in April, two Texas schools fired more than 80 DEI staff total.

UT Dallas's announcement that it's laying off about 20 faculty and staff to comply with SB 17 comes a week after UT Austin announced its own mass layoffs. "It's a chilling effect."

In a message to students, staff and faculty Tuesday, UTD President Richard Benson said continued evaluation of how to comply with SB 17 forced the closure of the new Office of Campus Resources and Support.

Senate Bill 17, which bans Texas public universities from having DEI programs and trainings, went into effect Jan. 1. Since then, UT Austin has renamed, reorganized or eliminated several university organizations. Now it's cutting jobs.

For students like Rayvon Bray, the Multicultural Center at the University of North Texas was like a second home — a place to meet friends, play games and share experiences as part of the Black gay community.