Is the University of Oklahoma Ignoring State Law and the Governor’s Executive Order Against DEI and CRT?

So-called diversity, equity, and inclusive (DEI) initiatives have been crumbling at colleges and universities.

— For example, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a bill in 2023 that defunded DEI programs at taxpayer-supported colleges and universities. The law allows the state to remove programs, majors, and minors that teach DEI or related issues. The Florida State Board of Education followed up with a final rule limiting the use of taxpayers’ money to fund DEI programs and activities in the Florida College System.

— The University System of Georgia no longer requires prospective or new employees to submit DEI statements.

— The University of North Carolina’s board of governors repealed the state school system’s DEI policy.

— Governor Greg Abbott of Texas signed a bill into law that bans DEI programs on state college campuses.

The list goes on. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to eradicate the scourge of DEI from every federal agency. His appointees are on board.

Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma last year issued an executive order barring colleges and universities from mandating that anyone listen to or participate in DEI training, activities, or programming. The legislature also barred “critical race theory” (CRT) in government schools.

Needless to say, DEI’s supporters don’t like treating white, heterosexual men, conservatives, or non-leftists equally under the law.

The Daily Caller Foundation (DCNF) reported that the University of Oklahoma appears to be ignoring the order and state law. The school requires students majoring in education to take a course that reeks of CRT. An excerpt (emphasis added):

The University of Oklahoma requires undergraduates studying education to take a course that portrays white people as complicit in institutional racism and instructs them to give special treatment to minority students, according to a class syllabus obtained by the DCNF.

As DCNF reported, the course’s name doesn’t give the game away. It’s called “Schools and American Culture.” Who can object to that? On its face, it sounds harmless, but then students discover the actual focus of the course. From DCNF:

The “Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education,” which students are required to read for class that week, states that “white people will seek racial justice only to the extent that there is something in it for them.”

Students also have to read a CRT paper for the class. And it gets worse.

The school issued a statement to the DCNF when asked about these requirements:

“The University of Oklahoma is committed to ensuring its courses meet and follow applicable laws. OU never shies away from complex or difficult topics. We are committed to the presentation of materials that are viewpoint-neutral and non-discriminatory and we continue to be dedicated to teaching our students how to think, not what to think. The rich history of the United States is complicated and unique, and it’s appropriate that coursework reflects that.”

The school’s actions contradict the entire statement. We’ll watch for updates.

Photo credit: By Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, link

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