University of Wyoming replaces DEI office with center for 'all students'

The University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie reportedly announced the official closure of its Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) on Sept. 19, pursuant to state-level legislation requiring the school to do so.

In August, university President Ed Seidel stated that the OMA would become the Pokes Center for Community Resources, which he said will “provide a centralized location where all students and their families can learn about institutional and community resources pertaining to basic needs and life skills development.”

In contrast, the now-defunct OMA website reportedly said that the former office “[advocated] alongside historically and presently marginalized students to develop a holistic sense of self and belonging through community building and identity affirming intersectional programming.” It also said that OMA’s work was “accomplished through fostering campus and community partnerships to ensure student success at UW and beyond.”

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Seidel said in an email following OMA’s closure that although UW’s ability to access public funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives has been limited, the school is attempting to continue some of these programs by securing funding through non-governmental avenues.

“When it comes to some high-profile events — such as the Shepard Symposium on Social Justice and the Wyoming Latina Youth Conference -– the university will continue to support them by partnering with the UW Foundation to generate private funding,” Seidel wrote in his August update. “We will also continue to seek the support of the Black 14 members to resume the Black 14 Social Justice Summer Institute.”

Seidel previously noted that the change aligned with recommendations from an internal audit in April that aimed to determine which programs at UW needed to be abolished in order to comply with the state’s 2025-2026 budget proposal. 

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Specifically, a state budget bill declared at the time that “no funds from this appropriation shall be expended on the office of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Wyoming or on any diversity, equity and inclusion program, activity or function,” causing UW administrators to express worry that OMA’s continued operation may jeopardize the school’s funding.

“While very few of our programs and activities can be construed as advocating or promoting preferential treatment, the working group [that offered recommendations after the Legislature acted] did find some areas warranting further consideration,” Seidel stated in May. “We will take a deeper look in these areas and consider additional changes.”

Campus Reform has reached out to the University of Wyoming for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.