After 21 years of service, the University of Utah’s LGBT Resource Center will close Friday as the state’s second-largest public university comes into compliance with HB 261, Utah’s version of the anti-DEI legislation that has swept the country and inclusive programs at several public universities.
“As we have evaluated how to best comply with the legislation, I want to be clear that we face very difficult decisions,” Vice President for Student Affairs Lori McDonald said in a statement. “The law and subsequent guidance require a fundamental change in the way we approach student support, and we will follow the law. This isn’t about changing the words we use; we are changing the way we approach work.”
The law prohibits schools and government offices from using the phrase “diversity, equity and inclusion,” from asking applicants to submit statements about their beliefs in diversity, and it bans some diversity training. From July 1, when the legislation comes into effect, there will be a hotline where people can report suspected violations of the new law by the government.
The University of Utah’s Center for Equity and Student Belonging, the LGBT Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center are all closing to comply with the law. The “student services and cultural offerings” of these centers will be reorganized under two new centralized centers. Still, the university will continue to celebrate Juneteenth, Martin Luther King Jr. Week, Pride Week, Women’s Week and cultural heritage months, according to the school.
The Utah Board of Higher Education will now require board review of existing centers and approval of new centers. With guidance from the Utah Commissioner of Higher Education and the Utah Board of Higher Education, the University of Utah will create a new Community and Cultural Engagement Center focused on cultural education, celebration, engagement and awareness.
“Under this new model, the student support services of the Women’s Resource Center, the LGBT Resource Center and the Black Cultural Center, which are permitted by law, will be incorporated into the Center for Student Access and Resources,” according to a statement from Student Affairs . “The cultural and community engagement functions of the three centers will be incorporated into the Center for Cultural and Community Engagement. The Black Cultural Center building will continue to function as a space for broader community engagement.”
In addition, the school’s American Indian Resource Center will be renamed the Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement. Under the new name, the university says it will continue to work with tribal nations, including as a liaison with the Ute Indian Tribe. The Veterans Support Center will continue to exist.
Unlike campuses like the University of Texas, where anti-DEI legislation led to the elimination of 300 positions, the University of Utah’s restructuring has so far not resulted in any staff or faculty losing their jobs.
On Friday, the LGBT Resource Center will invite the campus to a farewell party, according to an Instagram post.
“Let us come together to honor the Center’s legacy of support, advocacy and resilience, and to honor the 21 years of dedication spent creating a safe environment where everyone is valued, not despite their identity, but because of them . ”
