Echoing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ moves in May that blocked public colleges from using federal or state funding on diversity programs, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order Wednesday with much of the same.
Taking aim at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in state agencies and higher education, Stitt signed Executive Order 2023-31, which was billed in a statement as “implementing greater protections for Oklahomans and their tax dollars.”
The order requires “state agencies and institutes for higher education to initiate a review of DEI positions, departments, activities, procedures, and programs to eliminate and dismiss non-critical personnel,” the statement said.
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Funds, property and resources for those institutions will now be scrapped.
Stitt said he gave “all the state agencies, including the universities,” a deadline to report back by May of 2024 “on exactly what they’re spending on DEI. We need to give that report back to the legislature.
“Don’t worry about what they look like or how they identify, let’s just go help kids,” Stitt said.
“I’ve heard from all over the state that they’re just tired of wasting our dollars on something that tries to divide us,” he said. “Use those monies to educate kids instead of trying to preferential treat people based on their race.”
The order adds a number of requirements; including that state agencies and institutions for higher education cannot grant or support diversity, equity, and inclusion positions, departments, activities, procedures, or programs “to the extent they grant preferential treatment based on one person’s particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another’s.”
The University of Oklahoma said the order effectively shuts down their offices of diversity, equity and inclusion.
According to KFOR, University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr. said in a letter to students after the announcement that the news “evokes deep concern and uncertainty about the future, and in many ways feels like a step backward.”
The outlet cited figures from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education that says such programs account for just 0.3 percent of all higher education spending–at just $10.2 million.
In May this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that prohibited public colleges and universities from using state or federal funding for diversity and equality programs.
