As the University of Texas at Austin works to comply with Senate Bill 17 , which went into to affect this January—a state law that prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion offices on taxpayer-funded college campuses—a left-leaning faculty group has expressed concerns that DEI employees were “shocked” by formal termination notices.
UT Austin President Jay Hartzell announced via email that the university would dismantle its “division of campus and community engagement.” Formal termination letters have now been sent to affected staff.
Reported by Texas Scorecard
SB 17, signed in June 2023, prohibits public universities in Texas from establishing a DEI office, using DEI criteria in their hiring practices, or requiring employees or prospective employees to attend DEI training sessions.During the 88th Regular Legislative Session, Republican State Sen. Brandon Creighton of Conroe filed Senate Bill 17, which effectively prohibits Texas universities from hiring employees to “perform the duties” of a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) office and is supposed to block any promotion of policies, training, or activities “designed or implemented in reference to race, color, or ethnicity.”
It went into effect on January 1, 2024. Creighton has maintained that Texas colleges and universities that fail to adhere to the new state law may be at risk of funding clawbacks.
The UT-Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-UT), a group that supports existing practices in higher education, revealed on April 11 that on April 2, Vice President of People and Talent Roger Cude sent letters to the affected employees notifying them of the university’s decision.
The letters state that the employees’ last day of work will be July 5 and request their assistance in the orderly closure of the offices. These employees will be automatically enrolled in the Special Consideration Program, providing them with priority access to other university positions. Those unable to find new roles will receive career coaching and human resources support.
However, AAUP-UT finds this response inadequate, stating that the termination letters were unexpected and did not provide reasons for the terminations.
They also mentioned that the letters did not acknowledge the employees’ efforts to comply with SB 17 or their previous assurances that their jobs were secure. Additionally, the letters did not offer severance packages or outline options for continuing employment benefits, such as extending health insurance coverage using COBRA.
