Texas Tech audit affirms compliance with DEI ban in system's universities

The Texas Tech University System in Lubbock conducted an audit of the implementation of the state’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ban, finding that the law has been effective thus far and that DEI is steadily being eliminated at the state’s public colleges and universities.

The Texas Tech University System Office of Audit Services performed an audit of five different schools in the state, as noted by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. The Texas Tech University System consists of Angelo State University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Midwestern State University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and Texas Tech University.

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A team led by Teresa Jack, an assistant chief audit executive, examined verified closures of DEI offices, removal of diversity plans and DEI programs, elimination of mandatory DEI training, and other factors during the investigation.

Ultimately, the team found that each of the five public universities in the system are following both the “letter and spirit” of the anti-DEI legislation.

“Teresa and her team looked at not only the letter of the law but they discerned whether the institutions were following the spirit of the law,” Kim Turner, chief audit executive for the Texas Tech System, told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “All five institutions are following both the letter and spirit of the law.”

Campus Reform has previously reported about Texas’ anti-DEI legislation, Senate Bill 17, which was signed into law last year and went into effect on Jan.1.

“The issue is not diversity – the issue is that equity is not equality, and DEI practices conflate the two,” Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Texas Gov. Abbott, told Campus Reform last year. “Some universities and woke professors have been using DEI to advance political agendas and exclude conservative viewpoints on college campuses. These efforts adversely affect our students, limit exposure to diverse thought, and destroy our education system.”

[RELATED: University of New Mexico department offers ‘JEDI’ pledge for students to commit to combatting ‘oppression’]

Campus Reform additionally reported in June about the practical implementation of S.B. 17, noting that 131 college scholarships in the state had been altered following the implementation of the law. Those scholarships were each based on race, gender, or ethnicity.

“The law makes clear that taxpayer funds should not be spent conferring special benefits based on race, color, or ethnicity,” Texas Sen. Brandon Creighton told The Dallas Morning News in June.

Campus Reform has contacted Texas Tech University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.