(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation into law that compels all state-funded colleges and universities in the state to close their diversity, equity and inclusion offices, which critics contend have been used for decades to promote discrimination and division.
The new law, which one of its sponsors called the country’s most significant DEI ban in higher education, was approved last week as the U.S. Supreme Court later this month is widely expected to ban all colleges and universities from considering race as a factor in their admissions decisions, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Any public college or university in Texas unable to certify compliance with the new law will have allocated state funding frozen, preventing the institutions from furthering a leftist DEI agenda that critics say discriminates against certain groups and fosters divisive policies.
“Texas is leading the nation and ensuring our campuses return to focusing on the strength of diversity and promoting a merit-based approach where individuals are judged on their qualifications, skills and contributions,” state Senator Brandon Creighton, a Republican and one of the bill’s authors, said in a statement.
Paulette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, said the law nixing her bread and butter niche marked a “sad occasion for all students at Texas’ public universities.”
