Second University of Iowa staffer says DEI continues despite state ban
Another undercover video has surfaced showing a University of Iowa administrator saying that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts continue on campus despite a state law banning them.
The video, published by Townhall, shows Cory Lockwood, senior associate director of the Iowa Memorial Union, asserting that DEI work continues at the school despite public policy changes.
Another undercover video has surfaced showing a University of Iowa administrator saying that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts continue on campus despite a state law banning them.
The video, published by Townhall, shows Cory Lockwood, senior associate director of the Iowa Memorial Union, asserting that DEI work continues at the school despite public policy changes.
[RELATED: UVA offers ‘Black Feminist Theory’ and ‘Queer American History’ courses this fall]
“There’s DEI work happening,” Lockwood said. “Somebody’s not going to have that in their job description because of the State House.”
He noted that terms like “belonging” and “community” have replaced DEI language “because of our state legislature.”
Lockwood also explained that what “most [employees] are worried about is funding,” but that DEI has not been eliminated. “So you’ll see words like belonging, community … we still have cultural centers here,” the official says in the video.
Iowa’s S.F. 2435, which was passed in May 2024, requires public universities to eliminate DEI-based offices.
Lockwood had worked at the university for 26 years. He holds a degree in economics and was the general manager of the University Club during 2008–2012, according to his biography on the school’s website.
Lockwood has since been placed on administrative leave by the university.
Another Iowa employee, Andrea Tinoco, was recorded in July acknowledging that DEI efforts are still active at the university, despite new state and federal mandates against them. She has also been placed on administrative leave.
Tinoco, the school’s assistant director of Leadership and Student Organization Development, said, “We’re still going to talk about DEI. We’re still going to do all the DEI things.”
“It still exists: DEI and student organizations and all of that,” she added. “It is real. It still exists.”
Tinoco explained that while DEI “buzzwords” have been removed from official materials, the university continues its DEI-related work under different labels, such as “civic engagement.” Following the video’s release, the state attorney general opened an investigation.
In February, Iowa’s Board of Regents ordered the removal of DEI programs from university websites, clarifying that rebranding would not be enough.
“All of us — regents, university administrators, faculty and staff — must examine what we are doing now and what we will be doing going forward to ensure that we are following the spirit of the laws and executive orders, not just the words on the paper,” Board President Sherry Bates said at the time.
A Vanderbilt University administrator was also recorded in July admitting the school continues to promote DEI values despite federal efforts to eliminate such programs. Vice Provost G.L. Black said that DEI is still “part of what we do … even if we don’t label everything as DEI.”
Campus Reform has contacted Cory Lockwood for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
