Higher educational institutions all over Texas have seen losses of personnel and student resources as a result of Texas Senate Bill 17. While Del Mar College has not been affected on a wide scale, the bill has sparked fear in some professors as to what legislators could go after next in the upcoming legislative session.

SB17, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2024, bans colleges who receive state funding from having diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices as well as engaging in DEI training and hiring policies.

The bills effect was felt on campuses across the state, but Del Mar College hasn’t seen much change.

“There was some tinkering that was done, that the Board of Regents took up at a public meeting, but there wasn’t anything really big,” said Del Mar General Counsel Augustin Rivera. He explained that the college didn’t really have an extensive DEI office or DEI personnel. “It didn’t have a major disruptive impact at all.”

The President’s Office had formed a DEI committee that was made up of collegewide representatives. “It had only met a few times and when this legislation went into effect, we thought the best thing to do was not continue with that effort under that title,” Rivera said.

“Diversity has always been celebrated at Del Mar College, and it’s important to its 90 years of existence.” Rivera also clarified that federal programs, like TRIO, are exempt from the effect of SB17.

While the bill makes exceptions for academic instruction and research purposes, some are concerned that with the implementation of SB17 other programs will become the next target for bans.

Del Mar’s Mexican American Studies program focuses on the Mexican American experience in South Texas and the United States. Isabel Araiza, Coordinator of the MAS Program, has already expressed her concerns.

“I am worried about the existence of this program,” explained Araiza. She stressed the importance of having Mexican American representation in history.

“When you look at mainstream classes, they might have a chapter on it, but it flattens us. Mexicans aren’t the same as Cubans and not the same as Puerto Ricans and we deserve to have us centered.”

Araiza believes that Mexican American studies is key to many people in the Coastal Bend understanding their own history, and the history of people within their community. “I feel like a robust MAS program could be transformative for our region. We don’t know who we are, we don’t know our history. And so, people can tell us who we are, and how bad we are. They can pathologize our culture.”

Despite any changes that may have come with SB17, Araiza has hope for Del Mar’s culture.

“Actions speak so much louder than words. Before I had ever heard about DEI, I knew that Del Mar was a welcoming space,” Araiza said. “Connecting with students, valuing what they bring to campus, valuing their experiences, doesn’t need to have that label or a formal program. You just need to have people that believe in that.”

While SB17 may not have drastically affected Del Mar College, it has led to a number of layoffs within the University of Texas system. The Texas NAACP has confirmed 66 people who have been laid off from UT as of April 2 as a result of the bill. This number could be higher, as UT has not announced exactly how many employees were laid off.

In order to ensure compliance, DEI centers across Texas colleges and universities have also been closed down, leading to a significant loss of resources for students in need. DEI centers provide services and community support for a variety of students, not just minority students. For example, at UT SB17 forced the closure of the Multicultural Engagement Center, the Gender and Sexuality Center, and the Fearless Leadership Institute that provided leadership training for Black and Hispanic women.

As of August 2024, there have been 86 bills introduced across state legislatures that target DEI programs and practices. Currently, there are 12 states with legislation in effect, and 14 bills that are still pending.

Republican politicians have forged ahead with targets on higher education, accusing institutions of “liberal bias” and “indoctrination.” Sherry Sylvester of the conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation shared concerns that campuses continue to “revolve around identity politics, gender, and race theory.” She said that it was “critical” for the Legislature to “look deeply into what is being taught in university classrooms.”

In Ohio, State Sen. Jerry Cirino introduced a bill to ban the promotion of “controversial beliefs or policies” with restrictions on topics spanning from diversity, climate change, and marriage. After receiving backlash on social media, the state senator then clarified that the proposed bill was not aimed to censor but rather to “allow students to exercise their right to free speech without threat of reprisal by professors or administrators.”

At a Senate subcommittee hearing on higher education held Nov. 11, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick expressed his intents to “examine programs and certificates at higher education institutions that maintain discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.” His concerns lie in the idea that certain programs and curriculums that include DEI are “damaging and not aligned with state workforce demands.” This signals that despite exceptions made in SB17 for course material, that might not be the case for long.

“I think they want to eliminate things that have demonstrated to be valuable for retention and success for people of color and marginalized populations to begin with,” Araiza said. “They don’t want us to know how strong we are, they don’t want to us to know how creative we are, they don’t want us to see ourselves, so that we can truly appreciate how, despite all that we have overcome – we are here.”

As the debate over DEI continues to unfold, the future of campus culture and the nation’s higher education systems remain uncertain.

As an educator and an activist with the best intentions for her students and the community in mind, Araiza makes clear her intention to fight for the MAS program.

“I would try to resist it as much as I can. I am not uncomfortable with resisting, speaking truth to power, and advocating for our program and the people who benefit from our program and from our courses.”