A coalition of University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ student groups joined in protest Thursday against the university’s recent rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion language and programming under threat of federal funding loss.
“What is happening here is not just a budgeting decision, it is an attack on Black and all marginalized students,†said Austin Willis, president of the Black fraternity Iota Phi Theta.
He said he joined the fraternity and the protest because he believes the civil rights movement is still happening and must be supported.
“To the university, we will not be ignored, we will not be dismissed, and we will not let you quietly push us out while hiding behind bureaucratic delays and empty words,†Willis said into a megaphone to the crowd.
About 150 students, faculty and others gathered on the Alumni Plaza of the UA campus at noon. Some held signs that said “united in DEI†and “stand up, sit down for DEI.â€
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They chanted “U of A will not comply, we are keeping DEI.â€
Ky’Jah Greene speaks to the approximately 150 gathered for a protest on the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ campus on Thursday, demanding the continuation of DEI programs and offices at the school.
The students who organized the protest formed the coalition immediately after President Donald Trump and his administration targeted DEI programs. They are a collection from groups on campus including African American Student Affairs, Women and Gender Resource Center and LGBTQ Affairs.
The protesters said the university’s leaders are giving into government threats about DEI without a fight.
The Trump administration gave universities a two-week deadline on Feb. 18 to cut DEI initiatives or lose federal funding. UA removed the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Cultural and Resource Centers websites last week. The university also deleted the phrase “committed to diversity and inclusion" from its land acknowledgement statement used on its websites and email signatures.Ìý
That prompted Thursday's protest, and also led more than 1,500 people to sign their names to a petition earlier this week calling on the UA to reinstate the websites and DEI language.Ìý
“Without any of these measures becoming law, the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has begun to preemptively comply,†PhD student Ben Armentrout said to the crowd.
Protesters chant during a demonstration on the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ campus Thursday calling for the school to continue funding and supporting DEI programs.
UA’s spokesperson, Mitch Zak, said last week, “We are taking a measured approach toward ensuring compliance with new policies and procedures that will impact higher education institutions in the coming weeks and months. As a public institution, we will continue to adhere to all applicable laws at the local, state, and federal levels. We will continue to uphold our university commitment to fostering a campus environment where everyone can thrive as we advance our academic, research, and service missions.â€
UA President Suresh Garimella previously announced that the UA would inventory its programs related to diversity, equity, inclusion and access, or DEIA, to consider how to comply after Trump said in an executive order Jan. 20 that DEI programs are “illegal and immoral discrimination.â€
Armentrout told the crowd Thursday that the university's actions “undermine their ability to serve the students that need them most.â€
Speakers at the protest said even those who don’t consider themselves marginalized also benefit from DEI programming such as free contraceptives and sexual and feminine care. For many attendees, DEI helped build their communities and clubs on campus.
Freshman Brandon Rogers said the African American Student Association is one of the only places on campus where he feels included and cared for in a space where he belongs.
“I know I stand to lose the potential of the only space where I can see people like me on campus, where I can walk in and I don't get stared at as I walk down the street, as I walk through the mall,†Rogers said.Ìý
He said he was told this week by the director of the association that the university plans to put restrictions on AASA and other cultural resource centers, possibly shutting them down.
“I’m part of a diverse coalition of students who care about making sure that the people around us feel safe and seen and loved on campus and resist the threats and the lack of love that has come from our administration,†Rogers said.
The protesters’ list of demands included job security and fair treatment, continuation of current initiatives for specific campus populations, preserved spaces for specific student populations, and transparent decision making from leadership in response to federal policy.Ìý
The protest came on the same day that the Republican-controlled ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Senate voted to slash all state funds to public universities and community colleges that offer courses on diversity, equity and inclusion.
U of A takes down diversity, cultural websites after Trump DEI order
