Republican politicians in early 2023 launched an assault on colleges’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to recruit and retain faculty and students of color. While college administrators say their so-called DEI efforts are an effective strategy to repair decades of exclusionary policies and practices that repelled communities of color from their campuses, Republican leaders say the practices violate free speech, break antidiscrimination laws, and are a misuse of public money.
Track the latest DEI Legislation
-
DEI Legislation Tracker
Legislators, mostly Republicans, want to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion offices; end anti-bias trainings; and banish diversity statements.
Recent Stories
-
Politics and DEI
College DEI Spending Draws Ire of Mississippi’s GOP Auditor
The state’s higher-education board says that DEI spending amounts to less than 1 percent of the overall system budget. -
Debating Points
Why Are Trump and DeSantis Talking About Accreditation?
The contenders for the Republican presidential nomination say they plan to harness the wonky process to set higher ed straight. Experts are skeptical. -
Hiring & DEI
Are Diversity Statements Illegal?
Legal experts are divided. A new lawsuit may provide clarity. -
Lone-Star Politics
Students and Faculty Fear Tenure and DEI Bills Could ‘Destroy’ Texas Colleges
Over the weekend, Republican lawmakers gave final approval to a ban on diversity offices and changes in faculty job protections. -
Q. & A.
‘It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way’: One Scholar’s Front-Row Seat to Higher-Ed Battles in Wisconsin and Texas
Jeremi Suri, a historian, left Wisconsin because of legislation to strip faculty rights. He went to Texas, where similar efforts have been proposed. -
Duck and Cover
‘More Cowardly Than Cautious’: Faculty Decry College Leaders’ Silence on DEI Attacks
When speaking out carries political risks, but staying quiet seems like complicity, the leaders are caught in a bind. -
Hiring Controversy
Diversity Statements Violate First Amendment, Professor Says in Suing U. of California
The faculty member, who applied unsuccessfully for a job at UC-Santa Cruz, says the statements are not a legitimate way to assess candidates but are efforts “to ensure dogmatic conformity.” -
Politics and Higher Ed
Diversity Spending Is Banned in Florida’s Public Colleges
The anti-DEI measure had been a priority for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who signed the bill into law on Monday. -
A Question of Trust?
Florida Lawmakers Want Oversight of Invited Speakers on Public-College Campuses
Under a bill passed this month, new campus offices would have to ensure that debates and forums represent “multiple, divergent, and opposing perspectives.” -
Hundreds of Witnesses
Tenure and DEI Changes Loom Large in Texas. Here Are 3 Takeaways From a Marathon Hearing.
A Texas House of Representatives committee heard more than 10 hours of testimony on Monday.
