Butler University suspends social justice course mandate amid legal pressure

Butler University in Indianapolis suspended an academic requirement on Thursday for students to take a course in “Social Justice and Diversity.”

Courses that fulfilled the requirement study “critical scholarship on the root causes of marginalization and inequity and how to counter it,” according to the university’s website.

“After careful consideration, Butler University has made the difficult decision to suspend its Social Justice and Diversity Core Curriculum requirement,” the university said in a statement provided to Campus Reform. “This change is part of a broader review of programs to align with evolving legal guidance while upholding Butler’s mission of access, opportunity, and inclusive education.

The courses will continue to be offered, but will no longer be mandated as part of a curriculum requirement.

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The Butler Collegian, the school’s student newspaper, first reported the change in policy on Friday. 

The university introduced the requirement in August 2020.

Requirement courses included those that focus on subjects such as “Race, Gender, & Sexuality in Contemporary Art,” “Queering Film,” “Politics of Gender/Sexuality in Africa,” “Intersections of Identity,” and “Women in Rock.”

According to a message to the community cited by The Butler Collegian, the university’s elimination of the social justice requirement is aimed at complying with recent government policies. Those policies likely include President Trump’s anti-DEI executive order from January.

In June, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita sent letters to Butler University and the University of Notre Dame, announcing investigations into their use of allegedly unlawful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that racial discrimination of any kind in our education system is repugnant to our civil rights laws, even if done supposedly to help groups claimed to be disadvantaged or underrepresented,” Rokita said in a press release at the time, citing the Supreme Court 2023 landmark case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. 

“Hoosiers are rightfully concerned that some education institutions treat students, faculty, staff and others differently based on race under the guise of DEI,” he continued.

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The federal government’s anti-DEI policies, as well as state legislation cracking down on DEI, have led several colleges and universities to reconsider social justice and identity-based course requirements. 

The University of North Carolina system eliminated DEI course requirements in February, citing concerns about potential federal funding implications. 

“DEI requirements of the same substance, but identified by a different name, could further jeopardize federal funding,” the system’s general counsel said at the time.

Additionally, the Iowa Board of Regents has considered a policy to remove any requirements for courses on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and DEI, although the institution has delayed several votes on the policy.