I lost my job in DEI at UT. Here's my message to conservatives. | Opinion

Three months ago, I received some devastating news in a Zoom meeting with several of my colleagues. Our positions in the Division of Campus and Community Engagement (DCCE) were eliminated due to the SB 17 law that prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in state-funded institutions. Hours later, President Hartzell released a strategically worded announcement about the end of the DCCE, and I found myself wondering how programs advocating equity and inclusion could be under attack.

Now, as I write this on my official termination date, I feel that it’s time to break from the code of silence. As a communicator in the DCCE, I was instructed to ignore media requests regarding anything related to DEI when the SB 17 bill loomed over our heads like a menacing cloud. Rather than helping student reporters and providing critical information to the public, we had to keep quiet, resulting in missed storytelling opportunities that could reframe the narrative about DEI in higher education.

I want the public—particularly conservatives—to know that DEI programs are critical for academic success. And guess what—we all stand to gain from their success. Our economy depends on young, enterprising and compassionate professionals who will go out and, as UT boasts, “change the world.” No matter how much the anti-DEI proponents detest a certain demographic of students for whatever misguided beliefs they hold, the future depends on young people—and many of them have different skin colors and identities.

For the first time in my life, I experienced what it’s like to be the target of online hate when my job loss became national news. It’s deeply unsettling to see strangers cheering on the oppressors, saying things like “Didn’t Earn It.” What is it exactly these students didn’t earn? Do people really believe systemically marginalized students just eased their way into UT, where people catered to their every whim? The reality is every student I met in the DCCE worked hard to earn their spot, and they had to work even harder in the face of hate, bias and a phenomenon called imposter syndrome. This additional layer of anxiety causes students, particularly racial minorities, to doubt their abilities in comparison to others—leading them to believe they are frauds or imposters despite their talents and achievements.

From an insider’s perspective, I can tell you that our programs effectively counteracted these insidious obstacles and kept students on track. Sadly, you won’t get to read the countless student success stories and “Where Are They Now?” alumni profiles since our sites have been taken down, but I can tell you that the DCCE turned lives around and inspired students to pursue graduate school in fields like medicine, STEM and law—all critical jobs that benefit our society.

If you subscribe to the “Didn’t Earn It” belief, please know that DEI programs are not taking anything away from other students. How could a College-to-Career program for low-income students eliminate opportunities for more affluent students who have their pick of many similar programs across the university? Oh, and for those who are concerned about their tax dollars being “wasted” on these programs, I'd like to point out that most of them relied on grants, donations and sponsorships to stay afloat.

If any of this information hits a nerve, and you’re itching to write a scathing comment, maybe ask yourself why you’re feeling so impassioned. It seems to me that people are more afraid of competition when the playing field is leveled. Yet if you want UT to truly live up to its “change the world” mission, you must dig deep and find a way to embrace DEI within higher education.

Sinn was the assistant director of communications at the now defunct Division of Campus and Community Engagement.