University of Texas at Austin Closes DEI Office After Warning Letter to Comply With Law

The University of Texas at Austin has laid off employees who worked in the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. UT Austin’s President Jay Hartzell announced Tuesday that some staff members’ positions were eliminated following an evaluation of the university’s programs affected by Senate Bill 17, which bans DEI offices, policies, programs, and activities at state-funded institutions of higher learning. “The positions that provided support for those associate and assistant deans and a small number of staff roles across campus that were formerly focused on DEI will no longer be funded,” wrote Mr. Hartzell in a campus-wide message to students and staff....