Kansas considers bill to end mandatory DEI statements in higher ed

The Kansas House of Representatives is considering a law that would prohibit mandatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statements at public colleges and universities.

If enacted, House Bill 2460 would bar such public institutions from using DEI statements in admissions, hiring, and the promotion process.

More specifically, the legislation bars candidates in such scenarios from “pledging allegiance to or making a statement of personal support for or opposition to any political ideology or movement, including a pledge or statement regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, patriotism or related topics, or to request or require any such pledge or statement from an applicant or faculty member.”

Kansas Representative Steven Howe, a Republican who introduced the bill, has said that the use of mandatory DEI statements “can stifle freedom of speech, it can limit academic freedom and it can limit our intellectual diversity and diversity of thoughts on our campus.”

“What we’ve seen across the United States is universities becoming more lopsided in terms of the types of people that are in positions,” Howe has also stated. “They might be more politically minded in a certain viewpoint. You might not have a diversity of intellectual thought on a campus because you’ve kind of weeded out people that may not share in a certain ideology.”

Meanwhile, the state senate is reportedly also considering not reappointing Jon Rolph, the Kansas Board of Regents Chairman, over his support for DEI.

“My concern is they’re systematically removing any type of conservative thought from higher education,” Senate President Ty Masterson said according to The Kansas City Star. “[I]t should be the same for everybody. That’s the problem here, you’re showing favoritism.”

Kansas College Republicans President Garrett Henson also told The Kansas City Star that DEI efforts highlight “superficial differences that can be used to separate us.”

“Campus administration deliberately pushes leftist ideology on students and oftentimes does not represent the conservative viewpoint fairly,” he continued.