President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office aiming to end "radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing."
While the order was directed at "mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government," it quickly sparked debates over the legality of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in other sectors, both nationwide and in Arizona.
Whitney Harvey, a faculty associate who teaches LES 394, "Legal Aspects of Diversity in the Workplace," said DEI "is designed to make up for systemic and historical imbalances socially and in workplaces."
She defines DEI initiatives as ensuring diverse representation, fair treatment and inclusion, where individuals from all backgrounds are not only present but also have access to resources and feel supported.
On Feb. 5, Arizona Sen. Jake Hoffman proposed Senate Bill 1256, which would ban the use of DEI programs for hiring, training or promotion by state entities and prohibit requiring employees or contractors to participate in these programs.
"This is also in line with what President Trump has done at the federal level," Hoffman said during a committee meeting.
During the session, Hoffman said DEI is discriminatory.
"An assistant fire chief told a candidate that a current employee, someone who was a leader in their field, is not being promoted because they are a straight white male," Hoffman said. "That is DEI."
Hoffman said Arizona's agencies' laws should mirror those at the federal level to avoid discrimination prompted by DEI practices.
"That is what DEI does, that is how it operates in the workplace," Hoffman said. "That's how it operates at our universities and thank God President Trump has shut it down at the federal level."
Arizona Sen. Lauren Kuby, a member of the Committee on Government, said this bill goes against the democratic ideals of Arizona.
"It just adds more to the hateful rhetoric," Kuby said. "It leads to conspiracy theories about 'DEI hires.' It would encourage harassment of workers."
Kuby also said efforts to restrict DEI programs are meant to instill fear and create division. She prefers to call DEI "JEDI," adding "justice" to the acronym — making it justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
"They're trying to thwart the work, and they're trying to induce fear," Kuby said. "They're trying to frighten people and divide people, and it's the opposite of JEDI, where JEDI efforts bring people together."
Other bills that have been proposed in the Arizona Legislature concerning DEI include Arizona Sen. David C. Farnsworth's Senate Bill 1694 — a bill that would withhold state funding from higher education institutions offering courses on DEI.
According to the bill, any course that promotes topics such as systemic racism, microaggressions, unconscious bias or race-based reparations would result in a loss of state funding.
If passed, this piece of legislation could affect University classes, such as "Civility and Community at Cronkite" — a course that "offers training and awareness on cultural sensitivities, civil discourse, bias awareness and inclusion initiatives at the Cronkite School and ASU,” as stated in its course description.
Another class that could be affected is APA 350, or "Inequality and Diversity in Education," which teaches diversity in relation to educational systems.
Some students who have benefited from DEI programs believe that eliminating or undermining these initiatives creates additional barriers.
Samantha Matienzo, a senior studying architectural studies and president of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students at ASU, said a DEI-focused internship with an architecture firm was recently canceled after initiatives were scaled back.
She said this program had been a valuable opportunity for members of NOMAS at ASU.
"This is just a major setback for a lot of us," Matienzo said. "It is saddening to see some of these firms and companies who are within our field throwing away their (DEI-based) programs."
Matienzo said it is invaluable to have a diverse working environment.
"There's so many different minds and so many different ways people see the world," she said.
Harvey added that diversity in the workplace is valuable not only for the employee, but also for the company's profit.
"The organizations that remain steadfast in their priorities and values right now are going to see an immense benefit, not only for morale of their employees, but also having longevity, being drivers of innovation and being more profitable in the long term," Harvey said.
Students also expressed concerns about misconceptions surrounding DEI initiatives, particularly given the current political climate.
"DEI is not a dirty word," said Emma Galligan, a third-year law student and president of the the Chicano/Latino Law Students Association. "I'm a proud product of diversity, equity and inclusion. I came into law school through a pipeline program, and I got jobs through diversity programs."
While the future of DEI remains uncertain, students, Harvey and Sen. Kuby remain optimistic.
"We're going to create community and inclusiveness no matter what, and maybe this will even bring us closer together," Kuby said. "When something's under threat, you realize what you're fighting for."
Edited by George Headley, Abigail Beck, Tiya Talwar and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at vcruzbut@asu.edu and follow @valeriacbutron on X.
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