One of the prominent hot-button issues in the public square currently is the practice of companies hiring employees solely to meet the needs of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
Some employers say it broadens their potential hiring pool, and others contend that DEI programs give people who would not otherwise get these opportunities a chance.
Many, however, call this out for what it is: racist hiring practices.
Texas recently enacted a law, SB17, that forbids publicly funded colleges and universities from having departments that focus on hiring or promoting people based on ethnicity or sex.
With the anti-DEI law in effect, the University of Texas at Austin has been forced to cut at least 60 staff members from the university’s payroll.
BASED TEXAS: The University of Texas at Austin lays off dozens of diversity, equity, and inclusion staff
Way to go, Texas, about time!!! It's all about who is the most qualified, not anything to do with anything in DEI. Which is hurting our country. pic.twitter.com/o1TgsqiSY7
— 🕊 𝓐𝓷𝓷 𝓲𝓼 𝓡𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 🕊 𝐗𝐋𝐕 (@Ann_Lilyflower) April 4, 2024
People who believe that employees should be hired based on their ability to do their jobs are praising Texas’ decision to put an end to discriminatory hiring practices.
All staffers can find gainful employment at H4rv4rd with their valuable experience.
— Suhas Vaze (@suhasvaze) April 4, 2024
DEI: just go away. You're a bunch of racists and you DIDN'T EARN IT!
Are you glad the University of Texas laid off 60 DEI workers? I think it's about time!
What's your opinion? https://t.co/lHeoJo34dX pic.twitter.com/GPN1uxzlA5
— ƤƖҲƖЄ (@Pixie1z) April 4, 2024
As Texas leads the charge to stop DEI programs from collecting public funds, the question is, how many states will follow suit?
60 down, 600 more to go
— KMS (@GaslightGroupie) April 4, 2024
Many redundant, unnecessary, and useless government jobs should also be eliminated.
CHECK THIS OUT! — JUST IN: University of Texas Decides to La… via @ConservRoof https://t.co/3ozf6ATS9t
— Ray Pritchett (@Ray_P45) April 3, 2024
It's about time. Sadly, it took a law to force them to do this. DEI bureaucracy creates a toxic campus culture, that's why I have federal legislation that will stop sending federal dollars to any university that requires DEI statements from students. https://t.co/pYSxdADivH
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) April 3, 2024
Could federal legislation be the next step to ending this racist method of hiring employees? Time will tell.
CNN has more on UT’s recent layoffs:
The University of Texas at Austin has sent layoff notices to an estimated 60 staff members who previously worked in diversity, equity and inclusion roles, according to the Texas NAACP and the Texas Conference of American Association of University Professors.
The staffing cuts come as the university works to comply with the state’s anti-DEI law, or SB17, that bans public colleges and universities from maintaining DEI offices, holding mandatory DEI training, and having departments focused on “promoting differential treatment” based on race, sex or ethnicity.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Texas NAACP and AAUP said impacted staff members were given a 90-day layoff notice. Forty of those employees were from the Division of Campus and Community Engagement, which will be closing, the statement said. The office was formerly called the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement before SB17 went into effect in January.
Brian Davis, a university spokesman, said he was unable to confirm the number of jobs that are being eliminated. Davis told CNN in an email that the university would not comment beyond a letter President Jay Hartzell’s released to the campus community earlier this week.
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