Gov. Kevin Stitt calls for DEI review in executive order; legislator files supporting bills

Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order on Wednesday requiring state agencies and institutions of higher education in Oklahoma to initiate a review of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions, departments, activities, procedures and programs to “eliminate and dismiss” what the order called “non-critical personnel.”

In a related move, state Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, said he’s filed four anti-DEI bills for consideration during the upcoming session of the Oklahoma Legislature. The bills would prohibit the establishment of a DEI office or hiring or assigning of employees at Oklahoma higher education institutions to carry out DEI practices.

What Stitt referred to as an “anti-discrimination” order drew praise from fellow Republicans including state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, long an opponent of DEI practices.

However, five Democratic legislators from Norman and Stillwater – home to the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, respectively – called it misguided.

“This executive order is a clear sign that Governor Stitt has submitted to state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ agenda to attack public education and expel public education students from this state,” said Rep. Jared Deck, of Norman.

More: Oklahoma governor executive order to put higher education diversity programs under review

OU President Joseph Harroz sent a letter to students saying, “this news evokes deep concern and uncertainty about the future, and in many ways feels like a step backward.”

Harroz also said that while OU will comply with the order, “Make no mistake: At OU, we stand firm in our promise to uphold the core principles that make our university a beacon where the American Dream is available to all.”

Stitt signed the order in a ceremony inside the Capitol building attended by numerous legislators. Walters, who visited the Capitol earlier Wednesday morning, did not attend, but former state schools Superintendent Janet Barresi did. After signing the order, Stitt handed the pen he had used to Tamera Nealy, a Black 21-year-old OU senior from Oklahoma City.

“In Oklahoma, we’re going to encourage equal opportunity, rather than promising equal outcomes,” Stitt said. “Encouraging our workforce, economy, and education systems to flourish means shifting focus away from exclusivity and discrimination, and toward opportunity and merit. We’re taking politics out of education and focusing on preparing students for the workforce.”

What higher education DEI programs does the executive order ban?

Stitt’s order forbids state agencies and colleges and universities from using funds, property or resources to grant or support DEI positions or departments, and it prohibits requiring any DEI education or training.

The order also bans a series of actions:

• Requiring any person to swear, certify, or agree to any loyalty oath that favors or prefers one particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another.

• Requiring any person to certify or declare agreement with, recognition of, or adherence to, any particular political, philosophical, religious, or other ideological viewpoint.

• Requiring any applicant for employment to provide a DEI statement.

• Requiring any person to disclose their pronouns.

Stitt provided no information on whether any of these prohibited actions were currently taking place.

Stitt said all agencies would need to submit a report on what they are spending on DEI by May 2024.

Oklahoma colleges, organizations respond to executive order

Statements from OSU and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education indicated they would comply with Stitt’s order. The state regents’ statement noted, “We will continue to focus on supporting all Oklahoma students as they pursue college degrees and prepare to join our workforce,” while OSU’s said it would “meet our legal obligations while continuing to cultivate a welcoming environment for all students, faculty and staff.”

OU, meanwhile, took a more aggressive stance. In his letter to students, Harroz said, “Please be assured that key to our ongoing successes as the state’s flagship university – now and forever – are the foundational values that have served as our constant north star: access and opportunity for all of those with the talent and tenacity to succeed; being a place of belonging for all who attend; dedication to free speech and inquiry; and civility in our treatment of each other. These values transcend political ideology, and in them, we are unwavering.”

Ryan Walters leads DEI program scrutiny in recent months

Republican officeholders in Oklahoma have stepped up attacks on DEI programs in education in recent months. In April, the Oklahoma Board of Education, led by Walters, voted to require every public school district in the state to report on all DEI efforts in their districts during the 2022-23 academic year. That report was to include all spending, materials, personnel and third-party contractors connected with DEI programs.

Walters, who has called DEI “Marxist at its core,” had earlier demanded that state higher education Chancellor Allison Garrett produce a report detailing “every dollar” spent on teaching DEI on the state’s public college campuses.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education complied with Walters’ demand. The report said Oklahoma colleges and universities expect to spend about $10.2 million during the 2023-24 academic year on DEI initiatives, with $3.4 million of that amount coming from state appropriations. The $10.2 million accounted for about three-tenths of 1% of all higher-education spending in Oklahoma, the report said.

In a news release after Stitt’s signing ceremony, Walters called for the “wholesale elimination” of DEI programs.

“DEI rightfully should be known as discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination. It does not represent American values,” Walters said. “Governor Stitt is right for taking a strong step to protect Oklahomans from these discriminatory programs. We must not distort important historical events that push liberal indoctrination, and our curriculum must not teach identity politics.”

Oklahoma legislators file anti-DEI bills

The bills filed by Standridge are his latest attempt at anti-DEI legislation. In May, Standridge and Rep. Justin Humphrey, of Lane, authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 12, which would have defunded any state institution of higher education that did not immediately eliminate DEI “from every vestige of their institution.” The resolution didn't clear the Senate.

But at a legislative hearing in October, members of the state Senate Education Committee — led by Standridge – began laying groundwork to again target DEI at state colleges and universities and call for cuts to the state’s higher education system budget during the upcoming session, which begins in February. State regents have requested $1.126 billion in state funding for the next fiscal year.

“Our universities and colleges will continue to devolve as we veer further away from merit-based accomplishments and continue to follow the leftist ideology of DEI to its ultimate negative end,” Standridge said.

Many federal grants for higher education include DEI requirements for applicants, as do some accrediting agencies. Stitt dismissed the criticism that attempts to eliminate DEI from Oklahoma higher education might have adverse effects in those areas.

“There’s always the people that say, ‘Well, it’s the accreditation officers that are forcing us to do this or that.’ We’ll cross that bridge when it comes, whether it’s accreditation or not,” Stitt said. “I represent 4 million Oklahomans as the governor. I’ve heard from all over the state that they’re just tired of wasting our dollars on something that tries to divide us.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma governor executive order: DEI under fire, colleges react