AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Dim lighting and vacant offices were the first clues.
Other changes occurred for Nina Washington, a senior at the University of Texas, when she returned to her favorite place of study after winter break. The words “multicultural center” have been scratched from the wall, erasing efforts that began in the late 1980s to serve historically marginalized communities on campus. The center's staff has departed, and its student groups have disbanded.
“Politics, behaviors and emotions go back to the old ways,” said Washington, who, as a Black woman, found a sense of community at the center.
The void in the heart of the nearly 52,000-student campus is one of many changes rippling across college campuses in Texas, where one of the nation's most sweeping bans on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives took effect Jan. 1.
At least five other states have passed their own bans Republican lawmakers in at least 19 states They impose various restrictions on diversity initiatives, an issue they hope will rally their voters this election year.
With more than 600,000 students enrolled at more than 30 public universities across the state, the Texas startup offers a wide-ranging glimpse of what lies ahead for public higher education without initiatives designed to make minorities feel less isolated and white students more prepared for careers. . Which requires working effectively with people from different backgrounds.
At the main campus of the University of Texas at Austin, the second most populous public university in the state, only 4.5% of students are black and 25.2% are Hispanic, numbers that some students fear will decline as they struggle to adapt in An atmosphere of fear. About what they can say and do.
the law The site, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, prohibits public institutions of higher education from influencing hiring practices regarding race, sex, color or ethnicity, and prohibits the promotion of “preferential” or “preferential” treatment or “special” benefits for people based on those categories. Training and activities conducted “in relation to race, color, ethnic origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation” are also prohibited.
Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton, who wrote the bill, said in an email comment Tuesday that the DEI effort claims to be intended to increase diversity, “but upon closer examination, it is an attempt to inject politics and promote cancel culture into our colleges.” And universities.”
Time will tell. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, nine of whose members are appointed by the governor, is required to report to lawmakers every two years about the impact of the ban on admissions, academic progress and student graduation rates by race, gender and ethnicity.
In compliance with the law, cultural identity centers promoted by admissions offices to attract minorities have now been closed. University websites have removed references to “diversity” and “inclusion,” replacing them with “access” and “community engagement.” Employees have been reassigned to new roles.
“People want to keep their jobs, but many of us were trained to do this work around diversity, inclusion and equity and were specifically hired to do it,” said Patrick Smith, vice president of the Texas Faculty Association.
Professors are intimidated, editing their syllabi and censoring their speech, as they navigate the boundaries of compliance, Smith said.
As for the Student Union's Multicultural Center on the UT Austin campus, the university announced that it will consider how best to use the space to “continue building community for all Longhorns.”
At the same time, though The law explicitly excludes academicsUncertainty about its scope also has professors and students wondering how to adhere to it.
“Knowing that your speech is basically being monitored and censored if you're doing the kind of work that I'm doing is a strange feeling,” said Carma Chavez, a professor of Mexican American and Latino studies at the university.
The Hispanic Faculty Association, of which Chavez is co-president, has been prohibited from meeting during office hours or using campus spaces without paying a fee. They can't even communicate via university email, and university-affiliated groups can't co-sponsor events with them.
These boundaries cause Chavez to restrain herself in meetings or when directing a student before speaking about race or ethnicity, because she is unsure of what to say and when.
“I don't think I'm self-censoring, I think I'm being censored by the state legislature,” Chavez said.
University officials have shut down a group aimed at providing resources to students who qualify for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The DACA group wasn't specifically helping any of the people's classifications, so “it tells you how broadly their interpretation of the law is,” Chavez said.
Some student groups whose university funding has been blocked struggle with the financial burden of maintaining their identity communities and continuing cultural traditions.
Christian Mira, a senior at the University of Texas and chief financial officer for the Queer TransBlack Indigenous People of Color Agency, said the group lost its space in the multicultural center and was removed from office. Fundraising aggressively Through alumni, local supporters and community outreach. They hope to continue to support a vibrant community of students through signature events including the block party, leadership institutes and ball, although they are unsure where.
“College is already a difficult experience, so having people around you that you depend on creates that kind of community — making students feel safe, making them feel like they can succeed on campus,” Myra said.
Alexandre DeJesus, who teaches at UT-Dallas and is a DEI advocate with Texas students, said they have been preparing for months in ways big and small, such as more clearly announcing that anyone can use a walk-in closet for students in transition.
“It was also stressful to tell the other students, ‘Hey, keep your head up,’” DeJesus said. “It's hard to say that when you see a climate of fear developing and when you see people who are justifiably angry about traditional paths or politics or people not listening to them.”
