UPDATE: University reverses course, cancels plan for ‘Office of Campus and Community Belonging’
The University of Texas at San Antonio announced it has ended plans to open the new office, which would have replaced its recently closed DEI office.
The school cites its ‘evolving understanding of SB17,’ a law that prohibits DEI initiatives in Texas public colleges, as the reason for the cancellation.
A Texas university has announced that it will not be going forward with plans to open a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office following the closure of its last DEI office.
The University of Texas at San Antonio has rescinded its plan to open the Office of Campus and Community Belonging, according to an email from President Taylor Eighmy sent to students, staff and faculty on Jan. 2.
[RELATED: Texas eliminates DEI at public colleges and universities]
“After continued and considered evaluation, we decided not to launch the new office,” Eighmy wrote. “Given our evolving understanding of SB 17 as well as continuing voluntary changes in staffing and personnel reappointments from that office, it no longer made sense to launch the new office.”
The office would have replaced the Office of Inclusive Excellence, as previously reported by Campus Reform.
The former office closed on Jan. 1 to comply with Senate Bill 17, a Texas state law that bans DEI initiatives in public universities.
The new office would have been launched the same day and would have focused on three main areas: “ADA and Accessibility,” “Campus Climate,” and “Community Partnership Bridges.”
[UNT to dismantle DEI office after passage of new Texas law]
Now the school says it “will leverage the strong capabilities of our existing offices and divisions to realign ADA and disability services, campus climate and community engagement activities across various institutional divisions.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Texas at San Antonio for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
