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

Some of the DEI staff members returned to their previous faculty positions, and those who lost their jobs are eligible to apply for other positions.

A student walks at the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas, on June 23, 2016. Jon Herskovitz/Reuters

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.