UT Austin searching for 'alternative home' for segregated graduations in wake of anti-DEI law
A school official recently emailed students to announce that the university will at least temporarily discontinue ceremonies like 'Black Graduation' and 'GraduAsian.'
The decision was reached in order to comply with the recently passed SB 17 law, which prohibits DEI offices in public colleges and universities.
The state of Texas appears to be the latest example of anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) laws achieving their desired outcomes.
On Jan. 25, The Daily Texan, the University of Texas at Austin’s student newspaper, reported that the school would no longer be offering identity-based graduation ceremonies like “Black Graduation,” “Latinx Graduation,” and “GraduAsian.” The decision was reached in order to comply with the recently passed SB 17 law, which prohibits DEI offices in public colleges and universities.
[RELATED: Iowa Board of Regents vote to curb DEI in state universities]
In an email sent by the Center for Leadership and Learning Director Brandelyn Flunder to students, she acknowledged that with the recent closing of the university’s Multicultural Engagement Center, the school will also discontinue its identity-based programs like “New Black Student Weekend,” “Bloq Party,” and “CultivAsian.”
”First and foremost, I want to express my deepest empathy for the impact this decision may have on each of you,” Flunder lamented.
In a separate email, Flunder wrote, “Although it is true that MEC will no longer host these [Cultural Graduation Ceremonies], given our status, we are working diligently to find an alternative home so that 2024 graduates can be celebrated in the ways that they deserve.”
Although commended in left-leaning circles as unifying occasions, such identity-based graduation ceremonies have come under fire in recent years for their perceived discriminatory policies.
In July 2023, Campus Reform reported that Mountain States Legal Foundation accused the University of California, Berkeley of violating the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act by offering an annual graduation ceremony that was exclusively for black students.
[RELATED: Florida Department of Education bans taxpayer funds from being used for DEI at state colleges]
The anti-DEI movement has also gained momentum in states like Louisiana, where Louisiana State University removed controversial diversity statements and a lecture video series called, “Racism: Dismantling the System,” from its website earlier this month to seemingly anticipate new Republican Governor Jeff Landry.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Texas at Austin for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
