Utah’s anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law went into effect July 1. That means DEI hiring practices and offices are no longer allowed at state-run universities, public schools and government entities.
Some schools, like the University of Utah, are going a step further and closing centers used by women, minorities and members of the LGBT community. This includes the Black Cultural Center, LGBT Resource Center and Women’s Resource Center. Their websites are disabled and the three offices now operate as the Center for Cultural and Community Engagement.
For University of Utah computer science student Alex Tokita, DEI efforts in recent years have “ended up in the political crosshairs of many.”
“It's become this amorphous enemy that people think has to be eliminated everywhere,” he said. “Whereas I think there's a lot of good that still comes out and there's merit to some of these efforts.”
HB261, otherwise known as “Equal Opportunity Initiatives,” was one of the most controversial laws passed by the Utah Legislature this year. Hours of committee hearings brought out dozens of people for and against it. Ultimately, it passed along party lines and was signed into law soon after by Gov. Spencer Cox.
In a June 20 statement, University Vice President of Student Affairs Lori McDonald said they “faced very difficult decisions” when it came to how best to comply with the law.
“This isn’t about changing the words we use,” she said. “We’re changing how we approach the work.”
That meant consolidating student resources into the new Center for Student Access and Resources and the aforementioned Center for Cultural and Community Engagement. Both offices are open and accepting students.
The Black Cultural Center building at Fort Douglas will remain open as a community gathering space. And per an earlier agreement with the university, the American Indian Resource Center is now the Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement and will continue to serve as the University’s liaison with the Ute Indian Tribe.
University staff from the closed centers have been reassigned and no positions have been eliminated, although some job descriptions and work have changed.
For some students like Tokita, consolidating resources is not in their best interests.
“I think having a wide array of tools that can meet students and the nuances of their specific cultures, situations, and communities is the best approach for student success,” he said. “But by centralizing these offices, I think they're taking tools out of that tool belt.”
Tokita is also president of the Asian American Student Association but did not speak as a representative of the organization.
“The fact of the matter is that there’s different needs across these different groups of people,” added applied mathematics student Jake Smith. “We had different offices for that reason.”
Business student Owen Muich feels the move to close cultural and community centers was unexpected
“I just hear that the U is always preaching a message of inclusion, so to take away some of those programs is kind of surprising to me,” he said. “Centralizing feels like it’s taking away from some of those different groups.”
In a statement, university Provost Mitzi Montoya said she is confident students will continue to receive the “personalized support and services they need.”
Still, students like Stella Perrone might need more time to become familiar with what services are still available and how effective they are before taking advantage of them. With no individualized centers for various campus communities, it could “make it a little bit harder for people to get the answers or the resources that they need.”
“I mean, [I’ll go] maybe after they've been doing it for a couple months some people will say it was successful for them,” she said. “Then I would feel more confident going. But it's a little bit worrying right now, I don't know where these resources are really going.”
Similar offices have also closed at other universities statewide. Weber State University eliminated eight cultural centers.
At a May 15 appearance before the Legislature’s Education Interim Committee, Weber State President Brad Mortensen said the Ogden school will no longer have a “center, a space [or] a position that has a title based on an identity.”
However, there will still be specific centers for military-affiliated students, students with disabilities and international students.
The message of those changes could also be slow to get to students as many are on summer vacation and won’t be back on campus until later this year.
“Nobody has really talked about this yet,” said Smith.
“I'm not actually sure if they [students] even know about what happened. But I know that they were using some of those resources so I am concerned about how things are going to be for them down the road.”
Editor’s note: KUER is a licensee of the University of Utah but operates as an editorially independent news organization.
