The University of Texas at Austin has been compelled to lay off 60 employees who focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) due to the enactment of Senate Bill 17 earlier this year.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, following a caution from State Sen. Brandon Creighton regarding Texas universities’ obligations to adhere to the new law, the University of Texas has initiated a severe round of layoffs:
UT has not confirmed to the American-Statesman the number of staff positions that have been eliminated or how many employees will be laid off, but on Tuesday afternoon, a person with knowledge of the terminations said at least 60 people have lost their jobs, 40 of them in the Division of Campus and Community Engagement alone.
The layoffs are effective in 90 days or more, people familiar with the terminations told the Statesman. UT did not respond to a Statesman request for comment.
UT is also closing the Division of Campus and Community Engagement, previously known as the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.
President Jay Hartzell said in an email to the UT community on Tuesday afternoon, which was obtained by the Statesman, that though the school made changes before Jan. 1 to comply with SB 17, “we knew that more work would be required to utilize our talent and resources most effectively in support of our teaching and research missions, and ultimately, our students.”
Hartzell mentioned in his email that the university plans to utilize its extra resources to improve both teaching and research efforts.
“The new law has changed the scope of some programs on campus, making them broader and creating duplication with long-standing existing programs supporting students, faculty, and staff,” Hartzell wrote.
“Following those reviews, we have concluded that additional measures are necessary to reduce overlaps, streamline student-facing portfolios, and optimize and redirect resources into our fundamental activities of teaching and research,” he continued.
During a summit on Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott expressed ongoing worries about the attempt to influence the beliefs of young individuals in schools and universities across the state.
“We are concerned about the ideology that is being hammered into our kids when they go to our schools and our colleges,” Abbott said.
“Our kids are not learning the core elements that will ensure they (will) be better qualified to compete against their peers across the country or across the globe,” he continued. “Instead, they’re being indoctrinated with ideologies from far-left, socialistic-based professors at our universities.”
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