CINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati will begin rolling back all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, UC President Neville Pinto announced in a statement Friday.
Pinto said the rollback comes after President Donald Trump's Executive Order signed on Jan. 21, as well as a letter from the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) from Feb. 14 that called for the elimination of DEI in higher education.
"As you are no doubt aware, the federal government has effectively outlawed DEI programs and practices within government entities, including public universities nationwide," Pinto said.
Pinto says UC must comply with the OCR letter by Feb. 28 or the office will hold noncompliant universities accountable.
"Given the extent to which our university, like most educational institutions, relies on federal funding to deliver and sustain our core mission, it is untenable to operate as if noncompliance with these directives is an effective option," Pinto said.
Pinto said UC has "little choice but to follow the laws that govern us."
Moving forward, Pinto said he and UC Provost Kristi Nelson have informed university leaders of the new rules and steps that will need to be taken. Pinto did not specify any possible job cuts due to the rollback, but he said leaders are evaluating jobs related to DEI.
"Our leaders have begun evaluating jobs and duties related to DEI and examining our DEI programming, initiatives and projects to bring all areas into compliance," Pinto said.
He also said the university has begun removing DEI references across the university's websites, social media and other materials.
"I recognize that these decisions are weighty, and these actions are a departure from decades of established practice within academic communities," Pinto said. "I also continue to ask for your patience and understanding as we do the hard work that will be required to unwind many years of DEI efforts under an extremely compressed timeline."
He said the university is still committed to providing a "supportive learning and working environment where all are welcome, safe and free to be successful" while also complying with the new DEI standards.
Pinto's announcement comes after a photo from UC circulated on Reddit showing a restroom sign that says "biological men." A university spokesperson told WCPO that the sign is part of the school's compliance with Ohio Senate Bill 104.
"Related to SB 104 ... some UC residence halls have seen signage changes," the spokesperson said. "The legislation specifies the requirements for updated signage."
Signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine in November, SB 104 goes into effect Feb. 25. It explicitly states restrooms must be for only the male or female biological sex.
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