University of Alabama President Stuart Bell announced Tuesday that the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will close and be replaced by the Division of Opportunity, Connections, and Success.
Similar changes will be made at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
The OCS will aim to increase access to higher education in Alabama, foster free speech and civil discourse, and prepare students for the workforce. G. Christine Taylor, former head of the DEI Division, will head the OCS. A new website for the OCS has been created.
The change was necessitated by Alabama Senate Bill 129, which among other provisions, bans higher education institutions from “maintaining a diversity, equity, and inclusion office or department or sponsoring any diversity, equity, and inclusion program or program that advocates for a divisive concept.” Enforcement of the act goes into effect Oct. 1.
Bell wrote that despite the elimination of language referencing DEI, The University of Alabama’s mission remains the same, and it is committed to serving all students.
“Differences, including differences of opinion shared with civility, strengthen our campus community,” Bell wrote. “Our faculty, staff and students will continue to engage in free speech, exercise academic freedom, and join in wide-ranging thought and discussion on issues that impact our world.”
Update: OCS website makes scant references to “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion,” changes descriptions of minority programs
The word “equity” does not appear on the website, while “diversity” is only mentioned with respect to ideological diversity and Taylor’s history leading diversity and inclusion programs at other universities. Taylor’s experience leading the Division of DEI at The University of Alabama is not mentioned in her biography on the site.
The new OCS website refers to the Intercultural Diversity Center as the “Intercultural Center,” signifying that the name seemingly has changed to ensure compliance with SB 129. It is unclear if the function of the center has changed at all.
Lucy’s Legacy and Bridge, programs for women and men of color, respectively, are referenced on the OCS site, but the linked pages for the programs notably no longer describe them as intended for students of color like the previous pages did. Instead, the programs are advertised for women and men in general who are interested in the experiences of people of color.
Update: Division of DEI website taken down; Unclear if certain goals of division have been abandoned
As of around 1 p.m., the former website for the DEI Division is no longer accessible. This included webpages for what was formerly known as the Intercultural Diversity Center and a set of DEI-focused goals called the Path Forward Plan.
While Bell’s announcement conveyed that the University’s mission to “welcome all, serve all and see all thrive and succeed” remained the same, it remains unclear whether certain goals the University previously outlined in the Path Forward Plan have been abandoned or, if already accomplished, reverted.
Such goals included incorporating DEI in the University’s general education requirements; instituting an “inclusive hiring practice” workshop for faculty and staff that would discuss, among other things, implicit bias; embedding “DEI competencies” in the employee annual review process; and reviewing the tenure and promotion process to take into greater consideration faculty members’ work toward advancing racial equality.
Update: Alex House, assistant director of communications for the University, wrote “No UA employees are being terminated as a result of these changes, but duties and responsibilities of impacted employees will be adjusted.”
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
