AUSTIN, Texas — More than 50% of the students at the University of Texas at Austin are people of color. Freshman Alluwee Moore has already gotten involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on campus. 

“Having diversity in every part of our school — the students, the faculty, the staff — is just so important to make everyone feel included and like they have a place in our school,” she said. 

Reaction is quite strong on both sides of the issue, with Gov. Greg Abbott’s office saying state agencies and universities should stop considering diversity in hiring. According to the memo, hiring cannot be based on factors “other than merit.”

“By doing this, they’re taking a step backwards,” Moore said.

In a statement to Spectrum News, the governor’s office wrote in part, “The issue is not diversity — the issue is that equity is not equality. Here in Texas, we give people a chance to advance based on talent and merit.”

Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, has already filed legislation to fulfill the governor’s mission. If it passes, House Bill 1006 would dismantle DEI offices at public institutions. He said a candidate’s ability and expertise are what should be considered when hiring. 

“Everyone should feel welcome. Everyone should have the ability to go to college. Everyone should have some sort of academic financial aid to get them through. And I think that we will be better as a state if we drop this politics of division and embrace our differences and move on and allow people to study and work as they need to.”

Rep. Tepper added that tax dollars shouldn’t be spent on DEI offices at state agencies and universities. 

“You can believe whatever you want; you can push those efforts in however organizing way you want to. But these things cannot be paid for by the government,” Rep. Tepper said. “I mean, these are taxpayer dollars, and it’s supposed to be neutral. The taxpayers pay their tax dollars so that they can have their roads fixed, so that they can have a courthouse and the justice system, and so they can have a state university system where blue-collar people can send their kids to college...So we’re just arguing that state dollars should be neutral in philosophical, political discourse. And we don’t mind people discussing those issues, but the university itself should not be picking winners and losers before they even get to the school.”

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, has a different opinion. He said we need DEI programs to have a better, more inclusive Texas.

“This is not about the color of one’s skin. This is about being a Texan, making certain that everyone has an equal opportunity,” he said. “We’ve got to make certain that kids — young kids — understand the importance of diversity as they get ready to navigate the workforce and the world.”

Kris Sloan, an educational policy professor at St. Edward’s University in Austin, said it’s important to consider diversity during hiring processes, especially at universities that attract people of various backgrounds. 

“Fifty-four percent of the students at UT are non-white,” he said. “It would be professional malpractice for the university and interview process not to ask, ‘What is your experience, expertise, strategy to represent [or] address people from diverse backgrounds?’”

Sloan added that DEI offices typically have two purposes: to boost student retention, and to put on programming like academic activities and speaker events. 

“So it comes from both the bottom-up from students, who don’t see their interests and backgrounds reflected in the university culture, including academics. But it also comes from the universities who are using DEI initiatives to bolster retention rates, which equals revenue,” he said.

St. Edward’s University’s office is DEIJ. It added a “J” for “Justice.”

Rep. Tepper said he’s heard from job applicants who worry they won’t get hired if they don’t answer questions about diversity, equity and inclusion correctly. Sloan said DEI offices might not have the ultimate decision about which candidates are hired, but its opinion could factor in.

“For example, [St. Edward’s University is] a Hispanic Serving Institution, so we have a high population of Hispanic students. It’s not going to say in our job call, ‘You must be Hispanic to work here,’ obviously. But if you’re not responsive to the whole notion of what a Hispanic Serving Institution is, and the uniqueness of it, it’s going to come out in the interview process, so it might not be a good fit. I think that’s how DEI offices nationally or mostly interact with the application process,” Sloan said.

Sen. West and members of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus say these hiring policies ensure fair treatment to groups that have historically faced discrimination. Democratic Rep. Ron Reynolds, who chairs the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement to Spectrum News that it’s vital to have these policies in place.

“In these agencies and higher learning institutions, when they leverage the power of diversity, promoting equity, and fostering a sense of inclusion, these initiatives play a critical role in addressing systemic barriers and promoting opportunities for all,” he said. “Eliminating all DEI initiatives and protections will only serve to hurt Texas institutions.”