University of Idaho student gov urges state lawmakers to protect DEI

Student government officials at the University of Idaho recently passed a measure to request that state legislators not limit funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

On Dec. 4, the Associated Students University of Idaho (ASUI) approved a resolution to make the request to state lawmakers, as well as another bill that stresses the importance of DEI, The Argonaut reports.

[RELATED: PROF. GARRETT: Why I’m helping California move beyond DEI]

Following the student government’s actions, the organization shared a statement on Instagram by President Martha Smith.

”As many of you know, the University of Idaho is currently navigating instruction from the State Board of Education in regards to DEI efforts here on campus,” she notes. “It is important to note that this shift did not happen without a fight from both the University of Idaho and ASUI.”

”ASUI’s main message moving forward is that, despite these [DEI] centers not existing anymore, the Vandal Family still does,” the message adds. “Students affected by this are welcome at the University of Idaho and [are] an important part of our community.”

“I think it’s really important that we express our disappointment in our legislators in the state of Idaho,” one ASUI official told The Argonaut.

Another member expressed disappointment in the removals of DEI-based offices at the university, telling the outlet, “These areas on campus are what keep students here and make college accessible for everyone.”

A social justice group called the Sunrise Palouse has since denounced any move to eliminate DEI centers at the university.

[RELATED: Boise State shuts down DEI offices, preempting expected measure from Idaho state gov]

”As a coalition of students advocating for just, livable climate futures, Sunrise Palouse condemns the decision to shut down the Black and African American Cultural Center, the Women’s Center, the LGBTQA Office, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs,” the group writes in an op-ed for The Argonaut.

”While we are grateful for the university attempting to protect the staff of these offices, it is clear that the university views its own students—without whom this institution would not exist—as entirely expendable in the face of a state government which has turned its back on entire swathes of its constituents,” the group adds.