AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas System is pausing policies on diversity, equity and inclusion on its campuses.
That’s according to a statement read on Wednesday by University of Texas board chairman Kevin Eltife. This comes a little over two weeks after Governor Abbott’s office sent a memo saying that DEI policies were illegal in hiring.
“Given the clear legislative focus, we have paused any new DEI policies on our campuses and have asked for reports on current policies on our campuses,” Chairman Eltife said during Wednesday’s board meeting. “This will give our board a chance to review the various policies system-wide.”
Eltife said while the board supports policies that promote diversity, he said that current ones have, “strayed from the original intent to now imposing requirements and actions that rightfully so has raised concerns of our policymakers about those efforts on campuses across our entire state.”
He said they’d wait for legislative action before moving forward and, if needed, may consider system-wide DEI policies.
You can see the statements from Eltife below. They start at around 1:50 into the video.
This is KHOU 11's coverage from shortly after Gov. Abbott's office issued the memo.
After the memo from Gov. Abbott’s office on DEI policies in hiring, the head of NAACP in Texas called on professional and college sports leagues to not hold big events in Texas until it’s reversed.
DEI educator and consultant Eva Vega said audits and reviews of policies are standard practice to ensure things are running smoothly. She said DEI practices have been in place for decades to ensure a diverse pool of candidates applies for jobs and has the same advancement opportunities.
"We lower the bar by not valuing diversity equity and inclusion," Vega said. "What we do is roll the university back 50 years."
However, if there is a full pause, Vega said it would have a negative impact on higher education and the workplace.
"Going to get the sense that they are not welcome in the state of Texas and that is going to have a chilling effect on their ability to recruit," Vega said.