LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The University of Kentucky is just one of the many universities across the country shuttering their offices dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Tuesday, UK President Eli Capilouto announced the university's decision to do so after discussions with lawmakers.
In a campus-wide letter, the president revealed the Office of Institutional Diversity (OID) is shutting its doors, and diversity training and diversity statements for staff and faculty will no longer be required.
A new office, the Office for Community Relations, will take the place of OID.
"If we are to be a campus for everyone, we must demonstrate to ourselves and to those who support and invest in us our commitment to the idea that everyone belongs — both in what we say and in what we do," Capilouto wrote.
UK is not alone in its decision.
The Chronicle of Higher Education has been tracking anti-DEI legislation and DEI changes at schools across the country.
The Chronicle reports dozens of schools, from Alabama to Wyoming, have shut down their DEI programs and offices as well. Many of those schools did so as a result of state legislation.
As of today, 85 anti-DEI bills have been introduced across the country, while 14 have passed and become law.
Efforts to pass an anti-DEI bill in Kentucky have failed thus far, although two bills were introduced in the most recent legislative session.
UK's decision seems to have been made in response to the mounting pressure, and expectations that efforts to pass such laws will continue in 2025.
Supporters of DEI initiatives believe they provide critical opportunities for people who have been marginalized or face hurdles because of their identity.
Critics of DEI believe they are counterproductive and unfair, leading universities to make decisions based on factors like race and gender, instead of merit.
Whit Whitaker, president of the Lexington-Fayette NAACP, was critical of UK's decision and described the possible implications it could have for students.
"First of all, yes, it definitely impacts marginalized students, but it also impacts white students and faculty come from areas where they have limited access to and diverse conversations, diverse cultures," Whitaker said.
While Capilouto reassured community members that the university will remain a welcoming place for all people, Whitaker said he believes the university's actions will speak louder than words.
"It's just hypocritical because you're trying, you're saying you're not being political but you are taking a road that is based the political actions or political desires of, of certain a certain party or certain people," he said.
State Representative Jennifer Decker (R-Waddy) applauded the university's move, writing:
“Our efforts have always been aimed at eliminating unconstitutional, unnecessary, costly, and duplicative bureaucracy while still making sure campuses are open and welcoming to a diversity of students and staff. I appreciate the University of Kentucky for taking this step and remain hopeful that other institutions, as well as the Council on Postsecondary Education, will follow their lead and recognize that this failed experiment has done nothing to make postsecondary education more accessible.”
We reached out to six public universities across the state. Four of them (University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, Morehead State University, and Western Kentucky University) do not have DEI offices.
Two of them, Northern Kentucky University and the University of Louisville, still have active DEI offices.
