OU works to preserve, develop DEI programs despite legislative attacks

Editor’s note: This story is featured in OU Daily’s winter magazine, which will be available in print in late-November. Check out the other featured stories at the bottom of this article. 

Students on campus placed tape over their mouths and started marching on campus in the spring of 2015.

A video featuring members of OU’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter singing a racist song, which included racial slurs and references to lynching, had gone viral earlier that week.

Marches on campus, calls for expulsions and conversations surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion marked the spring of 2015 at OU.

Actions taken by the administration, including the creation of a vice president role focused on diversity and inclusion, didn’t stop all racism and bigotry at OU.

In 2019, OU President James Gallogly’s tenure was marked by administrative turmoil and multiple instances of students wearing blackface on or near campus.

A year later, before the university shut down due to the worldwide pandemic, two OU professors used racial slurs in class, prompting a sit-in orchestrated by the Black Emergency Response Team in Evans Hall.

The need for diverse faculty and staff gained the university administration’s attention in the aftermath of these acts of bigotry perpetrated by students and professors.

In 2014, before the Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident, minorities accounted for 28.7% of OU’s enrollment. In 2015, the number saw a slight increase to 29.3%. Three years later in 2019, it was at 33.4% and during the sit-ins in 2020, it was at 33.5%.

OU has made attempts at absolving its past by increasing diversity through implementing interactive, scenario-based DEI courses to educate students, faculty and staff.

In 2023, there have been no sit-ins or outcries to the magnitude of prior events, despite another instance of a professor using a racial slur in the classroom.

As OU attempts to reconcile and grow from racist incidents that plague its past, the university is now at a crossroads as possible state legislation and inquiries surrounding funding threaten the shape and scope of DEI and some liberal arts programs.

Oklahoma’s legislative attack on DEI

In recent years, Oklahoma’s legislature has made several attempts at limiting liberal arts programs focused on diversity studies and studies on underrepresented groups, such as African and African American studies or women’s and gender studies. From book banning to funding restrictions, Oklahoma universities like OU could see the erasure of these programs.

Sen. Rob Standridge (R-Norman) authored a concurrent resolution in May to defund any state-funded higher education institutions that do not eliminate DEI programs. The resolution cannot be approved until the next legislative session, which begins Feb. 5, 2024.

Standridge’s resolution mirrors a Florida bill which prohibits spending state or federal dollars on DEI programs or political or social activism. The bill was signed and has already taken effect.

Florida and Oklahoma’s legislature is not the only government body attempting to eliminate DEI programs in public schools.

According to data compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education, 40 bills in approximately 22 states have been introduced with the intention to place restrictions on DEI programs at public universities as of July. Of the bills, 29 have either been tabled, vetoed or failed to pass. Seven have final legislative approval and seven have become law.

These bills seek to eliminate the use of federal or state funding to support programs aiming to increase DEI staff, diversity training and to restrict identity-based preferences in admission recruitment and hiring.

According to an article by FOX25 News, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education reported that DEI funding accounts for just under 0.3% of all higher education spending in the state.

Attempts at limiting diversity in higher education have been implemented on the federal level after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in June.

In 2020, OU implemented its “Lead On, University” strategic plan, which includes a pillar specifically aimed to improve OU’s approach to diversity.

The plan outlines ways to increase diversity such as promoting a culture of civil discourse. OU defines diversity as representing all individuals and viewpoints, through education and interactions, while bringing awareness and advocacy through civil conversations.

Along with restricting DEI program funding, several state lawmakers have voiced their frustrations in recent years by proposing and passing bills aiming to restrict the teaching of certain historical events focused on racial inequality.

Two bills received attention but didn’t pass. Oklahoma House Bill 2988 intended to specifically bar critical race theory from public schools, meaning any instruction within classrooms that suggests the U.S. shoulders more blame than other nations for the institution of slavery. Standridge’s Senate Bill 1141 would have effectively prohibited public universities from requiring students to enroll in courses addressing “any form of gender, sexual, or racial diversity, equality, or inclusion,” unless required under their major.

Most notably, the state garnered national attention when it passed House Bill 1775, which restricts schools from teaching that a person is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive because of their race or sex, either knowingly or unknowingly. Known as a vague and widespread book banning law, the bill led one Norman teacher to leave her position and face backlash from Ryan Walters, Oklahoma’s superintendent of public instruction. It also resulted in the downgrade in accreditation for two public school districts in the state.

Standridge’s efforts to limit and restrict DEI haven’t slowed. On Oct. 18, Standridge called for an interim study session in which Oklahoma senators discussed the influence of DEI programs in higher education in a forum that scrutinized the existence of the programs.

According to several OU professors, with the growing resentment of DEI programs and restrictions on liberal arts studies, the university may have to pivot its approach in promoting DEI studies and programs to maintain the progress made since 2015.

OU administration and DEI

As a professor in liberal arts at OU, Jermaine Thibodeaux believes the attack on academia stems from a fear of a younger generation who may be more radical.

Thibodeaux said the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 may have triggered both younger generations and politicians to delve deeper into their opposing beliefs. A tactic used by politicians, according to Thibodeaux, would be to attack the place where students spend the most time.

According to Thibodeaux, HB 1775 and SB 1141 have affected K-12 schooling more than OU. Despite this, he remains conscious of the language he uses when talking about sensitive history.

“I’m always mindful that those bills are a part of the education landscape in this state, but I wouldn’t say, just yet, that I feel like they really have impacted what I teach for the most part. I think the presumption for most people who take (African and African American studies) classes should understand that we’ll get into some of the unsavory stuff,” Thibodeaux said.

When Nesha Williams, assistant to the chair and office manager of the African and African American Studies Department, first arrived at OU in 2013 as a staff assistant liaison between the military science department and the university, she was unaware of any courses relating to African American studies. It wasn’t until 2020 that she became aware of AFAM studies, which eventually led her to apply for a position.

“It wasn’t a degree granting department, it was just a program. The work behind the scenes to elevate it from a program to a department would not have been possible without the level of support that we received from the (Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences),” Williams said.

The AFAM department offers courses like introduction to African American studies, Black literature and modern analysis of the prison industrial complex.

Despite the repeated political attacks, members of the AFAM department said they are unfazed as the department’s future is crucial to the university.

“There is a need for what we do, and so I feel like the security comes in. And having that validation, from going to a program to a department, there is a need for the work that we do. And so that gives me at least a lot of security in knowing that my job is secure because there is still work that is still needed. For as long as there is work to be done, we have a reason to be here.” Williams said.

When it comes to the presence of AFAM studies, Thibodeaux said the department will always have a place in higher education due to race being a salient lens of analysis in U.S. history.

His fears stem more from what students entering college will believe after coming through a K-12 system with harsh restrictions on race and diversity.

“The sort of broad attempts to whitewash, erase (and) sanitize history for the sake of someone’s feelings, maybe in some people’s minds is a noble idea, but I think the consequences far outweigh any immediate gain or sort of benefit that these kinds of policies might produce,” Thibodeaux said.

Williams said though what is happening may be an attack on history, the subject matter itself is unchangeable and undeniable.

“Politicians can’t alter the events that have unfolded and power lies in moving forward and striving to bring about change,” Williams said.

For Williams, it’s not about attacking any specific group or party. Rather, it’s about casting a spotlight on history to foster understanding and drive progress.

“There are African and African American students on college campuses around the world. They need a place that they can feel they can call home, a place that looks and feels familiar, especially for those students that are so far away from those things. It’s very important for us to continue to have that same presence,” Williams said.

Recruitment and DEI

Dorion Billups, director of Diversity Enrichment Programs at OU, recruits students with the intention of helping them complete college at their own pace by providing resources to fully acclimate them onto campus. Billups said his focus is more so on recruitment than retention.

According to the annual press release, OU’s freshman classes have broken diversity records for the past three consecutive years, each surpassing the last in largest class size. According to OU admissions, 39.3% of students in the class of 2027 identified with an underrepresented group, 26% are first-generation students and 88 are international students.

Billups said in his time helping recruit and assist historically marginalized or underrepresented students as they attend and transition to OU, he has noticed that most students of color will experience some form of imposter syndrome while attending a predominantly white institution.

“If students don’t see themselves whenever they’re coming to visit campus, how are they going to feel like this is a place that they can be successful in?” Billups said.

According to Billups, OU has made honest attempts in trying to help his office grow, but it’s still difficult negotiating with the university to provide his office with more scholarship opportunities for students who may struggle to finance their education.

Choosing to attend a predominantly white institution like OU is a conscious decision for most students, Billups said, but he believes if more legislation targeting liberal arts and DEI passes, it may affect recruitment for out-of-state students who aren’t as familiar with Oklahoma politics.

“I think, with the political landscape in Oklahoma, it’s not unreasonable to think that there could be a chilling effect for nonresident students thinking about the University of Oklahoma, if everything comes to pass.”

Helena Okpara is used to being the only Black student in the classroom.

As a pre-medical student, she said she’s had one Black professor and has known few other Black students who took pre-medical courses alongside her during her time at OU.

Despite the lack of diversity, Okpara, who is public relations chair of the African Student Association, has made it a personal goal to help students of all backgrounds strengthen their relationships with each other, a large task at an institution fraught with a history of racism and sparse administrative action.

When considering what it’s like to be a minority at a predominantly white institution, Okpara said her time at OU has been difficult.

Okpara said she’s met students from other states who, upon arriving at the university, had to grapple with the fact they, like herself, may often find themselves to be the only person of color in their classroom.

Okpara said diversity between all groups needs better promotion from the university for there to be a significant change. She invites students of all backgrounds to events hosted by AFSA to promote further inclusion.

While she agrees that the university should promote DEI, Okpara said mandating the DEI programs will not inspire massive change and shouldn’t be a requirement for students.

“They’re adults. They’re human. They have their own free will to do whatever they want to do. We can’t just force that; you have to be open minded,” Okpara said.

Rethinking DEI programs

George Henderson, director of the advanced studies program in the Department of Human Relations and former dean of the College of Liberal Studies, joined OU’s faculty in 1967. He and his wife were the first Black homeowners in Norman.

Henderson said he believes the legislation surrounding DEI initiatives may be inevitable as the structure of the programs are often hypocritical of their goals.

“Our program should promote self-growth and self-development, but it should also promote civility. It should promote ways that we can interact. We do this wrong at the University of Oklahoma,” Henderson said.

Henderson’s main issue with the structure of DEI programs at OU is how the division governs all aspects of diversity for the university. Instead, he thinks each dean should be responsible for the diversity programs and efforts in their own college, Henderson said.

Henderson said OU’s DEI programs have largely been advertised not as a way to promote all people, but to specifically highlight Black people. In his view, this could alienate students who may need assistance from DEI programs but do not fall under the implied definition of “diverse.”

Henderson said advertising around the programs has fueled a divide among the white and non-white populations in universities.

“DEI programs should be talking about all students. Of course, there’s an emphasis on bringing in minority minorities, but how do you do that in a way that’s helpful?” Henderson said.

Because OU’s DEI programs are framed as “non-white,” whether intentional or unintentional, Hendersdon said that encourages conservative white politicians to present and implement laws hindering diversity courses, even if such courses are vital for personal growth.

“We must live what we teach. If we say we’re going to teach diversity, let’s live it. Now, that means I’ll have to have a program that will allow us to teach living together, interacting together, and I should not spend more words on denigrating one group and praising another group,” Henderson said.

Henderson questioned what DEI is doing to improve the social environment since he has noticed little improvement in maintaining retention with minority students and faculty during his time at OU.

Though Henderson takes issue with the structure of DEI programs, he does think the overall ideas and programs are a necessity to reduce hatred and ignorance.

Henderson said the only way to create an environment where diversity is championed and not challenged is to work around what lawmakers are doing by playing within their system to avoid further division.

“​​My conundrum is simply this: No matter what we say about where legislators are going, they’re going there, and no article or no film and nothing that you do will change that. Now the question becomes, ‘If this is the game that we’re gonna play, how do we play it well?’” Henderson said.

The existence of DEI programs is part of the attempts made by universities like OU to reconcile with past events that have made their minority population feel unwanted.

With the new legislation from Oklahoma lawmakers directly attacking these attempts for change, OU professors and faculty see it as another way to return to the past and ignore the reason these programs and disciplines were made in the first place.

“DEI is for everybody, you know what I mean? We’re just out here trying to get students to at least feel where they can belong,” Billups said.

Read more stories from winter magazine: 

This story was edited by Karoline Leonard, Peggy Dodd and Taylor Jones. Avery Avery, Nikkie Aisha and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.

This post was originally published on this site