Utah Valley University rebrands DEI office in response to new law
The school's 'Office of Inclusion and Diversity' has become the 'Office of Institutional Engagement and Effectiveness.'
The change comes following the signing of H.B. 261, which prohibits public colleges from creating any program that 'is referred to or named diversity, equity, and inclusion.'
A public university in Orem, Utah appears to be pursuing workarounds to a new law that cracks down on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education.
In response to House Bill 261, signed into law on Jan. 30, Utah Valley University (UVU) has become the first school in Utah to rebrand its DEI office, as noted by The Salt Lake Tribune. What was previously called the “Office of Inclusion and Diversity” has been renamed the “Office of Institutional Engagement and Effectiveness.”
In particular, section 53B-1-118 of H.B. 261 prohibits public colleges from creating any program or initiative that “is referred to or named diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
UVU has made clear that these changes in no way reflect a departure from the school’s commitment to inclusion and diversity. In a March 4 statement on Instagram, UVU president Astrid Tuminez said that, “UVU succeeds when all members of our community are seen, valued, welcomed, respected, included, represented and heard.”
While UVU is the first state school to rebrand its DEI-related initiatives, it likely won’t be the last.
Other colleges across the state have expressed similar views. In an address to the student government, University of Utah president Taylor Randall said that HB261 and other related bills “do not change the values” of the school.
The restriction on program names comes alongside a number of similar measures in the law, including prohibitions on mandatory diversity training and restrictions on schools’ ability to favorably or disfavorably treat students based on “race, color, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or gender identity.”
[RELATED: More colleges are seeking to institutionalize DEI through rubrics, diversity statements]
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, alongside other Republican lawmakers, has spoken critically of DEI initiatives in the past, especially concerning the use of “diversity statements” in hiring processes at public universities.
“These diversity statements that you have to sign to get hired, I think that is awful,” Cox said in December. “I think it’s bordering on evil, where we’re forcing people into a political framework before they can even apply for a job from the state.”
Campus Reform has contacted UVU and Governor Cox for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.