By Jai’Michael Anderson

On Jan. 28, University students and staff across the state advocated for protecting diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on Kentucky campuses.

The Student Coalition for DEI at U of L and several other RSOs at the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, Murray State University, and Morehead State University, partnered with Kentuckians for Higher Education and United Campus Workers to hold conversations surrounding DEI with fellow students and staff — coining the action DEI Awareness Day.

“DEI Awareness Day helped to raise awareness about misconceptions and the importance of access, affordability, safety, success, and well-being in higher education,” said Dr. Melanie Gast, a sociology professor at U of L.

Gast, who emphasized that her statements are not representative of the university or any affiliations she holds, said the anti-DEI legislation introduced last year, HB 9 and SB 6, was vague — having broad language that could impact various aspects of learning and community at the university.

Senate Bill 6 defined DEI initiatives as policies or practices that promote “differential treatment or benefits to individuals on the basis of religion, race, sex, color or national origin.”

“DEI-related legislation could also have negative impacts on faculty, staff, and students in Kentucky by taking away access to research grants, resources, professional development, and accessibility and support systems, which are necessary for the success and well-being of university members,” said Gast.

Replacing the DEI Office with the Office of Institutional Equity, the university has stepped away from language surrounding DEI since initial threats last year.

By extension, programs like the historically Black and Latinx Martin Luther King (MLK) scholarship have also been impacted, adopting new language for qualifying applicants:

“Any student with a commitment to social justice, community service, and UofL’s dedication to becoming a premier anti-racist community is welcome to apply.”

President Kim Schatzel and the university have used the phrase “all means all” in their messaging to emphasize their goal to help all students succeed.

“We are committed to educating our students in a community that offers a nurturing and challenging intellectual climate, a respect for the full spectrum of diversity and a genuine understanding of all of the many differences that make us great,” wrote Dianne Medley, a member U of L Board of Trustees, in an op-ed submitted to the Courier-Journal.

The Student Coalition for DEI at U of L consists of a growing number of 70 university departments and student organizations. They have collected over 550 signatures in an open letter demanding accountability from the Board of Trustees, President Schatzel, and other university administration leaders.

“U of L must ensure that its own work, advocacy, and responsibility aligns with its stated Cardinal Principles of Community of Care and Diversity and Inclusion,” the letter read.

Kentucky legislators resume their session next Tuesday. Members from the coalition will be traveling to Frankfort to spread their messages.