Belinda Higgs Hyppolite, vice president for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, gave updates Wednesday to OU Staff Senate on the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion following an executive order calling for a review of DEI in higher education.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order on Dec. 13 that requires state agencies and universities to review the necessity and efficiency of DEI positions, departments, activities, procedures and programs.
Hyppolite told Staff Senate that the DEI office, in its current iteration, will close and the office, and division will create a new strategy to comply with the executive order. She did not specify when the office would close or how any new iteration would look.
“The big question right now is that, ‘Is DEI going away?’ Well, DEI, in (its) current iteration, is absolutely going away,” Hyppolite said to Staff Senate. “We will be complying with this executive order, but we know that we have a responsibility to make sure that we continue to increase access and to create opportunities for our campus community.
“And our other goal is to make sure that we're decreasing barriers that would prevent people from being successful while they're on our campus. So do we have all the answers today of what our next iteration will be? We don't have those answers.”
Hyppolite said the university has the timeline outlined by the executive order, which requires universities and state agencies to be in compliance by May 31. The order also asks for a certificate of compliance and a report to be submitted to the governor, speaker of the Oklahoma House and Senate pro tempore.
The executive order, along with addressing departments, programs and more, also addresses trainings and curricula.
Read more about the executive order:
“Oklahoma’s governor signed an executive order eliminating offices of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at all public higher education institutions in Oklahoma, including our own,” OU wrote in a statement issued Dec. 13 in response to the order.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma issued a statement Tuesday saying OU was incorrect in its interpretation of the executive order, saying the university does not need to eliminate its DEI programs and offices.
“Despite the University of Oklahoma’s statements, the order does not require that Oklahoma universities eliminate all DEI offices,” ACLU of Oklahoma’s statement read, as first reported by KGOU and StateImpact. “Exceptions and limiting language appear throughout the order, leaving universities with ample room to continue the necessary work of DEI, if they have the will to do so.”
Hyppolite told Staff Senate Wednesday that OU’s general counsel is reviewing the executive order.
On Dec. 4, a federal judge heard oral arguments on a lawsuit seeking to overturn House Bill 1775, which bans schools from teaching that a person, because of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, either knowingly or unknowingly.
The suit is represented by the ACLU of Oklahoma, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and pro-bono counsel Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. OU’s Black Emergency Response Team and chapter of the American Association of University Professors, or AAUP, joined the lawsuit in October 2021.
Michael Givel, political science professor and president of OU's AAUP chapter, told OU Daily he hopes OU engages in civility and rethinks its decision to close the DEI office. Givel called the decision “misdirected” and said he hopes the university radically reconsiders its elimination.
In OU President Joseph Harroz Jr.'s statement on Dec. 13 announcing the disbanding of DEI programs, he called for a dedication to free speech and civility. Givel questioned the effectiveness of those comments following the elimination of DEI.
“How can one be civil if you’re not listening to all sides of the story, and you’ve already made a decision that you rather quickly decided without much input apparently from many people,” Givel said.
Givel pointed out the difference between OU’s decision to eliminate DEI and other universities' initial reactions to Stitt’s executive order. Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum wrote in a statement on Dec. 13 that her institution will ensure legal obligations are met, but no significant changes to campus are needed.
“The initial reaction of almost all, as far as I know, public universities other than OU was, this executive order really doesn’t affect us too much,” Givel said. “Evidently, OU reviewed things very quickly.”
Hyppolite said during this time, she has seen and is anticipating rumors about the current state of the office and division, and she asks that the OU community focus on the facts and wait for statements and updates from the university.
Hyppolite said DEI has existed in several facets in higher education, and so this change will be its new iteration or strategy, but she explained it is up to the OU community to support the missions of DEI and advocate for its values across campus.
Hyppolite took questions from senators, majority of which addressed support for the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and asked how university staff can support staff and personnel in those departments amid these changes.
Hyppolite did not address whether the continuation of related scholarships or employment in the division would be affected by the executive order. OU Daily asked OU marketing and communications about scholarships, employment and curricula for the spring 2024 semester on Dec. 14 and were given OU’s initial statement in response.
“We will always operate in the spirit of excellence in our campus community and work to cultivate that welcoming community for all," Hyppolite said. “We've made promises to our faculty, staff and students. We have values as an institution and we're going to work to uphold those values. … This is the road uncharted for us. It is very, very painful for a lot of people who've been doing great work to move our institution forward.”
Other updates from Staff Senate:
Lee Camargo-Quinn, OU director of benefits and retirement, spoke to the Staff Senate about changes to the dependent child tuition waivers and extended sick leave.
The OU Board of Regents approved changes to extended sick leave at its November meeting. Extended sick leave will be extended, effective Jan. 1, for use for the illness of an immediate family member with a Family and Medical Leave Act qualifying event. Faculty and staff will need to provide proof an individual is an immediate family member. Immediate family members include children, spouses, parents and those who are acting in loco parentis.
Camargo-Quinn also reviewed the dependent child tuition waiver changes, which included the removal of the requirement for employees and retirees to cover legal dependents on the active employee or retiree medical plan.
There is also an added death benefit for a student whose parent dies while actively employed by the university and for retirees whose dependents are currently enrolled. This will not exceed a total of five years or 10 fall/spring semesters. Submission deadlines for the fall semester were pushed back to Aug. 31 rather than in the summer and the spring semester deadline was changed to Jan. 31. These changes are effective Jan. 1.
Brian Holderread, OU vice president for campus operations, and Kris Glenn, director of Parking and Transportation Services, joined the Staff Senate to discuss the financial side of Parking Services and more specifically address permit rate raises.
Glenn said the Elm Avenue Parking Garage, which is 27 years old, will be undergoing renovations in summer 2024 and will be closed. Glenn did not specify if the renovations would affect fall semester parking or students.
Glenn said his office looks at pricing for permits yearly rather than scheduling permit raises years in advance like other peer institutions, so parking permit prices and possible increases will not be decided until the spring semester. Holderread and Glenn explained that Parking and Transportation Services is an auxiliary department, meaning it generates its own funds for maintenance and other expenses like debt services to pay for the parking garages and lots.
Read more about DEI and the executive order:
Peggy Dodd contributed to the reporting of this story. This story was edited by Peggy Dodd.
