Across the nation, several states have worked to shut down diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). However, a watchdog group recently revealed that a school in Utah may be simply rebranding its DEI to avoid scrutiny.

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From Fox News:

“No, no comment,” University of Utah education coordinator Lucas Alvarez told Accuracy in Media when asked about an allegation he was pushing DEI in violation of a 2024 law aimed at curbing DEI practices inside state universities.

Accuracy in Media President Adam Guillette then showed Alvarez video of him explaining the current DEI practices at the university.

“We’re still, I think, figuring out as we go, like, HB261,” Alvarez said in the video. “It’s complicated, I mean, like, the programs that we’re doing, I think technically we’re still allowed to do them, but they have to be marketed in a certain way.”

Alvarez also made another comment “suggesting DEI was still a focus at the university,” according to Fox. LeiLoni McLaughlin, the university’s director of the Center for Community & Cultural Engagement, seemingly echoed his comments about changing the marketing, telling Guillette that, due to “legislative changes, every university has had to shift” their actions and marketing.

A spokesperson for the university rejected “the assertion that the university is hiding diversity work with rebranding and remarketing.” He clarified that Alvarez is “not a spokesperson for the University of Utah,” stressing that his comments “do not reflect the position of the institution.”

Reflecting on the video footage, filmed in October 2024 and May of this year, Guillette told Fox that “Utah needs a Kansas-style DEI ban with a reporting mechanism and actual legal consequences” in order to combat what he calls “a broken system.”

As Republicans across the nation push for an end to DEI, let’s pray that schools wouldn’t be able to find loopholes like these!

How are you praying about DEI? Share your prayers and scriptures below.

(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash)