EVANSVILLE — The University of Southern Indiana has quietly taken down mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion on its website, mirroring steps taken by many colleges in the state since Gov. Mike Braun took office.
In January, in his second day in office, Braun signed several executive orders, including one focused on DEI practices. In it, he cited the Supreme Court case from 2023, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, in which the court outlawed affirmative action.
Braun ordered that state agencies can't spend money on DEI positions, activities or training if they "grant preferential treatment" based on race or ethnicity. They also can't mandate any employee to disclose their preferred pronouns.
The Courier & Press reached out to USI to ask why the information was taken down, when it was taken down and who made that decision. The university didn't answer any of those questions. Instead, it sent a statement in response.
"The University of Southern Indiana has been thoughtfully reviewing recent policy developments at all levels of government. This includes a careful evaluation of our efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)," the statement reads. "Our commitment remains steadfast: to foster a campus environment where every individual feels welcomed, respected and valued. As a state university, we are dedicated to upholding both the letter of the law and regulations that guide our institution, while continuing to support a culture of care for all."
What has USI removed from its website?
The Pott College of Science, Engineering and Education used to have a page for its DEI Committee. The page showed real-life examples of the works students were doing in that space, including innovative wheelchair designs for people with mobility issues.
That can be only be seen now via the internet archive site, The Wayback Machine. It no longer appears on USI's website.
In 2020, the Liberal Arts DEI committee released a statement in support of the Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name movements. Now the page only shows a 404 error. Using the WayBack Machine, the Courier & Press was able to see what the page said from an archived look last year.
"It is important we say the names of those we have lost to racism and police brutality," the statement read. "We hold zero tolerance for white supremacy, racism, and discrimination of any kind. A strong liberal arts education is essential to dismantling systems of oppression, and USI’s College of Liberal Arts wishes to lead this charge for its students, faculty, staff, and the larger Evansville community."
The full archived statement can be found here.
There no longer appears to be any page for the university's overall DEI committee, which until this year was giving presentations on its work to the USI Board of Trustees each May.
This May, there is no presentation listed on the board's archive. The ones from previous years can still be found. But the full reports, not the PowerPoint presentations given to the board, are gone.
The link for the 2024 report is broken, meaning that information is no longer readily available to the public. The same goes for 2023.
The DEI committee itself no longer appears in the university's handbook, which states the portion was last edited this month.
Other Evansville colleges make DEI changes
Ivy Tech Community College was the first local higher education entity to move on DEI changes dictated from the state.
The college announced in February it would close its Offices of Diversity, Equity and Belonging statewide. This included Evansville, where one position was eliminated. Two other employees had their job descriptions changed.