University of Alabama System Campuses Close DEI Divisions to Comply With Anti-DEI Law

The University of Alabama (UA) in Tuscaloosa — along with two other schools in the university system — is closing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) division and opening a new division for student support following Alabama’s anti-DEI law.

UA President Stuart R. Bell sent a letter to the community on July 23 announcing that the university is discontinuing its DEI division and creating the Division of Opportunities, Connections, and Success (OCS) to promote student and employee success and comply with SB 129. The law goes into effect Oct. 1, 2024.

“A significant factor in our success is the continuous development of opportunities for students and employees of all backgrounds and beliefs to access this institution, connect with others, enhance our campus community, and achieve their academic and professional goals,” Bell wrote.

SB 129, like other bills in Texas, Florida, and Ohio, prohibits public institutions from operating DEI offices, supporting DEI programs, and requiring students to agree with “divisive concepts” like inequalities and injustices regarding race, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin. Schools cannot force students to agree with those concepts nor penalize them for refusing to support them.

According to UA, here’s what the DEI division’s replacement looks like:

The Opportunities initiative focuses on enhancing relationships between the university and high school students with lower college attendance rates through university and partner programs.

The school will host a Multicultural Visitation Program University Day to recruit and reach prospective students through “individuals with varying backgrounds.”

The university will also host an admitted students day for all admitted students, along with their parents and guardians. They will meet with university students, alums, faculty, and staff of varying backgrounds.

The university also partners with nine programs focused on foster youth, students with disabilities, first-generation students, women, men, and underrepresented populations.

The Connections initiative focuses on educating students, faculty, and staff on the tenets and responsibilities of freedom of speech, free speech, a welcoming campus community, and respectful engagement with others who disagree with a person’s perspectives.

A faculty and staff advisory/planning board will work with the Office of Academic Affairs to provide lectures, classes, workshops, forums, a website, a speaker series, and research to educate the community on the First Amendment and civil discourse.

The Success initiative prepares students and employees to work “more effectively with those from different backgrounds.”

The initiative includes an intercultural center for university community members to “learn with and learn about each other.” It also partners with two career development centers, an engineering mentorship program, and a global café, which serves as a meeting space.

“UA has seen tremendous gains over the past decade — in enrollment and in creating an atmosphere where every individual, regardless of background, can be successful. We graduate more students than any other institution in the state, building an even stronger workforce and contributing to a growing economy and more engaged society,” Bell wrote.

“That commitment remains as strong as ever, and our institutional goals remain steadfastly dedicated to providing resources to equip all members of our campus community. We will continue to assess how we can best serve our campus community and achieve those goals, and I appreciate every student, faculty, and staff member who works diligently to support these efforts.”

Two other university system schools —The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) — are also opening new divisions in lieu of the closure of DEI divisions.

UAH is opening the Office of Access, Connections, and Engagement to reach out to pre-college students, grow students’ connections on campus and in the community, and prepare students for post-college life.

UAB is opening the Office of Access and Engagement to address barriers to higher education through outreach, engagement, leadership, co-curricular activities, and academic success programs.

Schools in Utah are also making changes.

Despite not being required to, the University of Utah and Weber State University recently closed all of their cultural centers in response to Utah’s anti-DEI law. The University of Utah’s Black Cultural Center’s programs will be merged into the Center for Community and Cultural Engagement while keeping the physical space open as a community gathering space.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah is “making a huge difference” in its approach to DEI to “make more people feel more included.”

“We don’t want anyone to feel marginalized or pushed out. That was not the intention at all of this bill,” Cox said. “We want to make sure that they’re creating new spaces, healthy spaces, for people that, again, can involve all students and bring people together.”