The dissolution took existing funds and staff that were assigned to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division (including the IDEALS Institute) and reallocated those resources into student success, student affairs, and other offices throughout campus.
I spoke with Allan Braziel Hatch, graduate student and treasurer of the Graduate Professional Student Congress, along with Jeff Wright, university professor and co-chair of the GPSC DEI committee. They shared their initial thoughts and perspectives- as well as actions they took after learning of the dissolution.
"I would say that I was a little upset and a little anxious and felt a bit betrayed. It definitely came as a surprise to me," Hatch said. "And I think I'm still a little bit not like overly surprised, because I'm in Arkansas, but you know, still kind of coping with it."
"They sandbagged us with it. It wasn't just a surprise, it was completely out of nowhere and we never saw it coming," Wright said. "They did it in the middle of June, and I just remember being here last summer trying to figure out how the committee and the GPSC is going to survive this. Like, what does this mean, for us? It is a little terrifying, to be honest."
"During the summer, a lot of us disappear," Hatch said. "Some of us go home, some go travel. And so as we said earlier, it seemed pretty blatant to do it at that period of time. I would say the struggle for us is that, given that we're all so scattered, given that a lot of us during the summer spend time working on our dissertations and thesis, we had to put a lot of time aside and begin to communicate out to each other just about like, well, how exactly do you feel about this? I think that was like the first step. 'Are you feeling the same way that I am?' The story itself began to circulate around, not just the state, but the country. I had friends messaging me saying, 'Hey, are you okay?'. And so, I think that was, you know, as an African American male, and us having such a deep history with things like DEI, some of the pushes against critical race theory already- even the more recent African American Studies, labeling the history that I'm associated with as indoctrination, those are just motivating factors for me. And as a member of the Graduate Student Government, I just felt strongly compelled to communicate with others and figure out like, well, I see that this isn't something that we want, what can we do to let it be known that this is something that happened, once everybody gets back? And just to assert our position, not just internally, but in the community and outside of Northwest Arkansas as well."
As a member of the Graduate Student Government, I just felt strongly compelled to communicate with others... And just to assert our position, not just internally, but in the community and outside of Northwest Arkansas as well.Allan Braziel Hatch
The GPSC remains committed to keeping departments at the University of Arkansas accountable, despite the dissolution of the central DEI office on campus. They argue that DEI is vital to the well-being and success of every student.
"In the resolution itself, we pose a lot of different questions that were largely centered around what the functions of a division would actually do," Hatch said. "At the core of it, it's for the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, and staff. At one point, that also included students. For us, I think that's kind of where it starts. Right? What exactly are you doing to fill the needs, the ones that we as students might have, from our perspective- as grad students- toward faculty and staff. It matters to me that there is a diverse staff available, or someone that I can relate to, not just in pigment, but historically... experiences, and it's the same thing for a faculty. Your dissertation work is so heavily tied to whatever the faculty is doing or might have available. So it's just a little bit easier to communicate, and you feel it's bit easier mentally, when you have someone that can understand where you're coming from. And so, where our efforts have been are figuring out what gaps have been created [by the dissolution], and there's a long list of gaps."
"If I could say anything to people out there, [specifically] the younger people out there, is do not shy away from this," Wright said. "We need you at the University of Arkansas because you are the people that are going to make the change. Clearly, it is not the university."
We need you at the University of Arkansas because you are the people that are going to make the change. Clearly, it is not the university.Jeff Wright
I reached out to John Thomas, manager of university communications, for comment after speaking with the GPSC. They did not respond in time for air.
The future is still unclear for those, like Jeff and Braziel, who are upset about the dissolution of diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campus. But for now, as legislators continue to fight back against DEI programs across the country, individuals who are committed to cultural progress say the work isn't over.
