In line with what other Texas universities have said, the chancellor of the Texas State University System said Thursday that campuses must remove diversity statements from their hiring processes immediately, among other changes.
In a letter to institution presidents, chancellor Brian McCall said that the change was made in response to a request from the governor’s office “to ensure that our universities, colleges, and other institutions are in full compliance with all applicable federal and state anti-discrimination laws.”
The Emailed Letter
- Review all job postings and confirm strict adherence to anti-discrimination statutes. All language in violation of these statutes must [be] removed.
- Eliminate the requirement for a diversity statement regarding DEI. Such a statement should no longer be required as part of the campus’ hiring practice. To the extent diversity statements have been submitted for current job postings, the hiring committee or administrator should not consider the words.
- Review public-facing and internal webpages regarding job openings to ensure language does not violate anti-discrimination mandates.
- Review hiring policies and, where appropriate, modify such policies to incorporate the above actions.
The schools in the university system are Texas State University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, Sul Ross State University, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College–Orange, and Lamar State College – Port Arthur.
Texas State University has campuses in San Marcos and Round Rock, which are nearby cities. As of Saturday afternoon, the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility website for the Round Rock campus had a statement that said, “Texas State University RRC is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We want everyone on campus to feel welcome so that, with a wide range of people and ideas, everyone’s voice can be heard.
Texas State University tweeted on TXST. You can see below
Connecting with us on Facebook is an excellent way for #TXST Bobcat families to stay updated on all the latest happenings at Texas State! Find out what we’re up to: https://t.co/GTrfcQZudF pic.twitter.com/kCI6L6iNaJ
— Texas State University (@txst) February 28, 2023
The Texas Tribune reported that Abbott’s chief of staff told state agencies and public universities to stop using diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in February. The memo said that DEI policies broke federal and state employment laws and that hiring can’t be based on anything “other than merit.”
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In the past few weeks, the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University System did things similar to what the TSUS did.
Kevin Eltife, who is in charge of the UT System, asked that new policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion be put on hold. He said that they try to have a diverse group of students and teachers on campus but that “certain DEI efforts have strayed from the original goal by now imposing requirements and actions that have, rightly so, raised policymakers’ concerns about those efforts on campuses across our entire state.”