Equal Opportunity Initiatives bill passes House, Aggies react
Updated on Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m.
The Utah Senate passed HB0261 on Jan. 25.
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On Saturday, Jan. 20, the Utah House passed the Equal Opportunity Initiatives bill. The bill, HB0261, aims to prohibit hiring practices, requirements and programs based on diversity, equity and inclusion within Utah’s public universities.
Gov. Spencer Cox has been openly against DEI hiring practices in higher education since December 2023, referring to them as “borderline evil.”
USU spokesperson Amanda DeRito provided a statement to The Utah Statesman on USU’s hiring practices, in response to Cox’s statements.
“As the state’s land-grant university, USU takes seriously its core purpose of providing all Utahns with access to higher education,” DeRito wrote. “Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination based on a person’s identity. As for hiring, USU’s work in inclusive hiring is aimed at casting a wide net to attract the best candidates possible and minimize bias in the process. USU is an equal-opportunity employer and does not use quotas nor hire on the basis of identity.”
DeRito said USU began phasing out the voluntary use of diversity statements in its hiring practices in spring 2023.
“We look forward to working with state leaders toward our shared goal of providing access to higher education and successfully graduating students who are ready to become a part of Utah’s citizenry and vibrant economy. The university will always be committed to creating an inclusive working and learning environment and will work within the guardrails of state law to ensure USU is a place where everyone has the opportunity to succeed,” DeRito wrote.
Aggies have been pushing back in response to the bill. The Government Relations Council started the Voices of Aggies project in late November of last year, which aimed to inform legislators of student support for DEI initiatives.
“I’m frustrated that no one sees the true power of how DEI supports ALL students,” wrote Alaisa Phithak in a text message following the passing of the bill. “Students are able to learn about different cultures, make new friends, and build a community that supports one another. Students have a safe space from racism and classism with DEI initiatives. We are seen, we are heard, we are supported, and we are always welcome at the Inclusion Center. I’ll keep fighting for this and I know other students will stand beside me.”
Phithak is the marketing coordinator for the Women in Business Association, the DEI director for Business Council and the advocacy committee director, all which fall under the Huntsman School of Business. She is also the public relations coordinator for the Asian Student Association, which operates under the Inclusion Center.
As an Asian American student, Phithak is a part of a community that takes up roughly one percent of Utah State’s total population. Being in a minority, she found her experience at Utah State to be unique compared to the majority of her peers.
“There were a lot of times where I felt like I didn’t belong in a room or the things that I would contribute to class were kind of set to the side while others who contributed were highlighted and praised for what they were saying,” Phithak said. “There are a lot of times in classes where I feel dismissed.”
Phithak noted that the Huntsman School of Business is made up of predominately white students and predominantly men. As such, she takes her role as the Business Council DEI director very seriously.
“I want to make sure that people who look like me and who have the same thoughts as me feel comfortable in that space,” Phithak said.
The Equal Opportunity Initiative bill seeks to prohibit programs that fall under DEI at Utah State. This includes any program falling under DEI, minus the Disabilities Resource Center, being that it is required by law. But programs such as the Disabled and Neurodiverse Aggies will be impacted, even though the student-led club is partially advised through the DRC.
Club member and political science major Sophie Christensen is advocating for pushback against the bill.
“The struggles that I have as a queer person or disabled person or a woman means that my university is making efforts to make me be more included. They’re making efforts to help professors know more about my needs and accommodate those,” Christensen said. “But it also means that my university is making efforts to include students that have other identities that are different from mine that I want to learn about, because that’s important to me too.”
Christensen is also a gender studies minor. With anti-DEI legislation making its way across the country, Christensen’s minor could potentially come under fire soon.
“I wanted gender studies to be my major, and I’ve already been frustrated that it’s not a major here,” Christensen said. “For it to not even be a program at all is terrible.”
Along with being a part of the Disabled and Neurodiverse Aggies club, Christensen is also a part of the Queer Student Alliance and the Women and Gender Issues Society.
Both Phithak and Christensen agreed that they are lacking professors and leadership who represent them at USU.
“In my department, there are 17 professors and only three of them are women, and that has made me almost want to quit my major,” Christensen said.
Alongside being a student, Phithak takes representation into her own hands by being a leader for her classmates.
“The whole reason why I wanted to be in councils and be as involved as I could, was to show people who look like me that you can do whatever you want. If you want to be on Business Council, if you want to be on WIBA, if you want to be in an inclusion center club, you can, and all you have to do is just try and apply,” Phithak said. “I think that was important for me. I wanted to make a mark, I wanted to make sure that people who look like me know that they have an opportunity to do good.”