‘No one is losing their jobs’: After Stitt executive order, OU DEI rebranded

In December 2023, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order seeking to downsize or eliminate “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) offices and bureaucracy at Oklahoma colleges and prevent colleges from engaging in illegal discrimination.

“In Oklahoma, we’re going to encourage equal opportunity, rather than promising equal outcomes,” Stitt said at the time. “Encouraging our workforce, economy, and education systems to flourish means shifting focus away from exclusivity and discrimination, and toward opportunity and merit. We’re taking politics out of education and focusing on preparing students for the workforce.”

But at the University of Oklahoma, it appears college officials responded to the order primarily by relabeling DEI offices and positions, and no DEI staff positions were eliminated, based on emails obtained through an open-records request.

“This is a tactic that has been seen in other institutions: rename and rebrand the office to something that doesn’t mention DEI, but maintains the same leadership and initiatives,” said Laura Morgan, a registered nurse with 40 years of experience who is now senior director of programs for the organization Do No Harm. “Staff members may be distributed to other departments where the work of engaging in identity politics continues, but on the surface level the university appears to comply with the law.

Read more on OCPA Think.