The University of Wyoming has joined the long list of US schools that have scrapped Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and departments from their campuses. In a meeting earlier this month, the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees unanimously voted to scrap the school’s DEI department.
The school’s board of trustees also agreed to move the department’s staff and other programming to other departments. According to the University president, Dr. Ed Seidel, the decision came after a Wyoming legislature passed the state House.
Seidel also noted that the new improvement was also in a bid to satisfy the input from the university community. Seidel said that the decision to scrap the DEI department came after the state officials warned the school. “We received a strong message from the state’s elected officials to change our approach to DEI issues,” Seidel said.
Furthermore, the university president said that the university community has called for a review of services categorized under DEI. Hence, he noted that the move from the university board of trustees aimed to consider these concerns.
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In addition to scrapping its DEI department, the University of Wyoming also scrapped DEI statements from its hiring requirements. According to reports, job applicants no longer need to “submit statements regarding DEI.” Furthermore, the University of Wyoming will no longer evaluate employees’ commitment to DEI.
As stated earlier, the University of Wyoming’s Board of Trustees’ decision is based on the state’s decision to cut the University’s block grant. In a March 2024 meeting, Wyoming lawmakers voted to forbid state funding for the University’s DEI program.
However, some students and staff seemed to disagree as they stormed the March Board of Trustees meeting. The protesters rallied in support of the DEI department, arguing the department is an integral part of the school community. As a result of the protest, the board pledged to vote on the resolution in May.
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However, in its May meeting, the board upheld the decision to scrap the school’s DEI department and other programs. Notably, the University of Wyoming is not the only University that has done so. The school’s board of trustees’ decision comes in the wake of a nationwide review of DEI policies.
For context, the crackdown on DEI initiatives started after the 2023 congressional hearing on antisemitism on campuses. The hearing had presidents of Ivy League colleges in attendance, including Liz Magill of UPenn, Sally Kornbluth of MIT, and Claudine Gay, the former President of Harvard.
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The presidents faced backlash for their responses to New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s questions, which led to widespread outrage from the Jewish community. Harvard alums, especially Jewish ones, including Billionaire Bill Ackman, called for a total overhaul of Harvard’s DEI initiative.
Similarly, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also called for an end to DEI initiatives nationwide. Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to explain why the initiatives must go, saying, “DEI must Die!” The backlash saw the embattled President resign after allegations of plagiarism further fueled the backlash.
Like the University of Wyoming, several other universities have also scrapped DEI programs from their current programs.
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