What does consolidation of diversity resources mean for KU?

The University of Kansas is quietly diminishing its diversity and inclusion efforts in the face of political pressure from Republican state lawmakers.

KU is consolidating three campus resource centers with a combined 150-year history of serving minority students into one new center for student engagement, the university informed students in a Sept. 9 email.

At the same time, KU has shrunk the footprint of its Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and assigned its leader new job responsibilities. Faculty and staff found out about the diversity office changes in a memo from the provost over the summer, but students have not been given any official notice from the university.

Save Our Centers KU, a student organization protesting the merger of campus resource centers, is calling on the university to immediately rescind its consolidation plans and commit to no future diversity reorganization projects without “democratic deliberation.”

“At the moment everyone has stated that no one will lose their jobs, but we have already seen programs and some resources are going to be sunsetted and we fear for the complete cessation of multiple programs and resources,” the group said in a statement.

Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod has not addressed why the university is pursuing DEI consolidation. A KU spokesperson said school officials were unavailable for interviews about the reorganization.

Conservative backlash has prompted new restrictions on diversity initiatives in higher education across the country. Texas, Florida and Utah enacted outright bans on diversity offices at state institutions, and other Republican-controlled states have established their restrictions.

In June, KU officials said they were rethinking the university’s approach to diversity and inclusion in response to a new state law that threatens colleges and universities with $10,000 fines if they link diversity considerations to enrollment or hiring. In August, those plans were laid out in a memo to faculty and staff.

Kansas Republican lawmakers successfully passed legislation that prohibits public universities from requiring prospective students or hires to make any statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Anything candidates volunteer on those topics must be disregarded.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a similar policy last year that was included in the state’s budget, arguing that DEI facilitates open dialogue to challenge students’ thinking. This year, she allowed the policy to become law without her signature despite her concerns about the legislation.

The move by the KU administration falls in line with actions taken by universities across the country to eliminate DEI programs and policies after their states threatened to withhold funding from schools that maintain support for diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Earlier this summer, the University of Missouri eliminated its Division of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. System President Mun Choi said the decision to do so was a proactive way to get in front of legislation that could hinder the university’s diversity efforts and possibly trigger layoffs.

“We’re seeing the actions that have been taken in other states,” Choi said in July. “There were divisions that were eliminated, the DEI divisions, and it resulted in larger staff layoffs. And in our case, we wanted to be proactive because those staff members serve an important role in ensuring the success of our students.”

Consolidating resources

Under the KU plan, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, both of which formed out of social unrest movements on campus in the 1970s, will be merged with the Emily Taylor Center for Women and Gender Equity.

The university maintains the changes are in line with best practices put forward by national student affairs groups.

In a letter to the KU administration, the faculty of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department said “Merging the centers without warning the community was insulting.” They wrote that it “erases history of many of the centers that fought to be at the University” and makes it more difficult for students from diverse backgrounds to have their own spaces.

Last week, students with Save Our Centers KU, hoisted signs, shouted chants and marched in protest at Ascher Plaza against the university’s decision to merge the three campus resource centers.

Save Our Centers KU told The Star in a statement that they are “frustrated with the over-compliance of KU’s reaction” to anti-DEI legislation.”

Not everyone agrees. Student body president DaNae Estabine said she and other students she’s spoken to are “not concerned” about the reorganization and consolidation of diversity resources.

“The office of Student Affairs has publicly shared with students some of the changes that are going to be made, which seem like they’ll be super beneficial to students,” Estabine said in an email.

Responding to anti-DEI legislation

Like many public universities, KU has a long and complicated history with race relations. The first Black students were admitted in 1876 — earlier than many surrounding institutions. The first Black faculty member wasn’t hired until 1959.

The university’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging was established to address the unique needs of students and staff who belong to minority groups that have been historically underserved.

“We strive for a campus where greater fairness, care, and belonging are integrated into our learning and workplace practices and all have opportunities to meet their academic and professional goals,” read a quote on the diversity office’s website, which was taken offline last month.

Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer wrote in an Aug. 16 message to faculty and staff that most diversity office employees will now report to Associate Vice Chancellor Lauren Jones McKown, who oversees Civil Rights and Title IX.

“Under Lauren’s leadership in the Chancellor’s office, DEIB staff members will continue to serve the KU community offering campus programming and support that bolsters our ability to work with one another and to ensure that rights are protected and barriers to success are dismantled,” Bichelmeyer said.

In the past, the diversity office has held informational sessions and trainings on a variety of topics including mental health, microaggressions, equitable hiring and solidarity in practice. Its website previously included a portal for staff and faculty to request funding for professional development opportunities.

The landing page for its website now reroutes to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, the division responsible for investigating claims of harassment, discrimination, and sexual violence.

That caught the attention of Joe Eubanks, a 2022 KU graduate who was hired to oversee the diversity office at Wenatchee Valley College in Washington state. He often visited the KU diversity office’s website in search of ideas for events and programs he could implement.

Eubanks said he was disappointed with the decision to eliminate the university’s diversity office.

“Does the KU community know that this office still is willing to support faculty, staff, students and community members? What does that look like?” he said. “What is the charge of the DEIB office now? It seems like to me that they’re pretty much going and retreating from social justice there.”

KU is also establishing a new Office of Community Impact, headed by Nicole Hodges Persley, who until recently served as vice provost of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

“Nicole’s approach has been holistic, data-driven and qualitative using insights from climate surveys and diversity metrics to inform policies and practices,” Bichelmeyer said in a memo. “She also has played a key role in crisis response and conflict resolution, ensuring that the university’s response to DEIB-related issues is proactive and effective.”

KU officials declined to share any additional information about the charge of the Community Impact office or its personnel.

The future of DEI

The University of Kansas isn’t alone in reorganizing its diversity outreach in the aftermath of the new state law. Wichita State University’s diversity and inclusion office was merged into a new one that oversees student engagement over the summer.

Fort Hays State University’s diversity resources and diversity student organizations web pages are both listed as “under construction.”

Steven Howe, the Salina Republican who chairs the House Higher Education Budget Committee and introduced the legislation barring diversity considerations in enrollment and hiring, said it’s likely there could be further efforts to restrict those initiatives at public institutions next session.

“There’s this increasing competition for students, and so universities are going to be scrutinized, generally speaking, and DEI might be a part of that scrutiny,” Howe said.

Kansas colleges and universities are anticipating an enrollment cliff after 2026 when the number of eligible high school graduates is expected to peak before going into decline, he said.

“It’s in each institution’s financial interest to make their campuses welcoming to students and families and people,” Howe said. “. . .But I think what we’re seeing today is an increase in bureaucratic systems at universities that are maybe trying to accomplish some of those things. But it does come with a little bit more of a political correctness, a woke agenda, and some things that are very concerning.”

Last year, Howe asked the nonpartisan audit arm of the Kansas Legislature to investigate how much each state university spends on DEI activities.

The audit struggled to define those activities, noting that each university has its definition. It ultimately found that KU spent the most on DEI activities during the 2022-23 school year — $18.1 million — only $2.6 million of which came from state funding.

Mike Amyx, a Lawrence Democrat on the same budget committee as Howe, said pursuing further DEI restrictions on colleges and universities would only harm their recruitment and retention efforts.

“I hope this is as far as this is going to go,” Amyx said. “Obviously, I was against the bill and I’m not going to change my opinion.”