How State DEI Bans Are Changing Support Offices and Programs on Public Campuses

The pattern across states

More than a handful of states have passed laws restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion work at public universities since 2023, and by 2026 a consistent pattern has emerged in how campuses respond. Administrators close DEI offices first, fold identity-based cultural centers into general student affairs departments second, and stop funding or staffing affinity events last. The details vary by state, but the sequence looks similar in Utah, Texas, and Ohio.

DEI offices and cultural centers close first

Utah's Equal Opportunity Initiatives law took effect July 1, and the University of Utah, Utah State University, Southern Utah University, and Weber State University all closed their DEI offices and cultural centers in response, according to Crowell & Moring . In Texas, Senate Bill 17 banned DEI offices and hiring practices tied to protected characteristics at public universities starting January 1, 2024, and schools now file compliance certifications with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to keep state funding, per Ogletree Deakins .

Ohio's Senate Bill 1 pushed most of the state's 14 public universities to close DEI offices by the end of September 2025.

Affinity ceremonies and identity-based programs lose support

After offices close, university-sponsored affinity graduation ceremonies are often next to go. Harvard University, Maricopa Community Colleges, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, the University of Notre Dame, Wichita State University, and Virginia Tech all cancelled affinity ceremonies for Black, Latino, Asian American, or other identity-based student groups, according to AsAmNews . For Asian American and Pacific Islander students specifically, cultural centers on some campuses were folded into broader student affairs offices, and services that used to have their own name and space became harder to find.

Student clubs usually survive, without staff or funding

Identity-based student organizations, such as a Black Student Union or a Latino cultural club, generally keep operating under these laws because students run them and they sit outside the university DEI office structure. What changes is the support behind them. Clubs lose the dedicated staff advisor, meeting space, and university funding a DEI office used to provide, and rebuild that support through general student activities budgets or outside donors instead.

What this means for your college choice

If identity-based support matters to your college decision, check a school's current student affairs page directly rather than trust older marketing material, since offices named on a campus website two years ago may no longer exist. Ask admissions or current students directly whether affinity programs, cultural centers, or identity-based scholarships are still active before you commit.

Sources

• Crowell & Moring: Utah Bans DEI at Universities and in Public-Sector Employment
• Ogletree Deakins: New Texas Law Prohibiting DEI Offices Is Now Effective
• AsAmNews: AAPI students face deep cuts as colleges dismantle DEI
• Signal Akron: Anti-DEI higher education law Senate Bill 1 goes into effect in Ohio