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.
Students from the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), the Ohio Student Association (OSA) and the broader student body protested Monday outside the Tangeman University Center regarding the rollback. They urged the university to advocate for their interests, emphasizing that many students and staff will be affected by upcoming changes.
Watch video from the student-led protest against DEI rollback here:
"We are sitting here at a predominately white institution, taking away opportunities from the black citizens, DEI scholarships and grants that allow them to even go to the school in the first place," said Devon Cutri, OSA member. "People need to start speaking up and saying they are really against diversity, equity, and they're not here for inclusion, that's exactly what they're proving with these advances on our campus.
Pinto 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.
"They're only trying to make it more digestible for the general public when in reality this only the start, but also the start for students, we're not stopping, we're not complying," said Cutri.
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.
"They're using it as an excuse to be racist, to erase history, to be homophobic, and misogynistic, it's only the surface level of what they're acturally trying to say," said Cutri.
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