UT Austin lays off dozens of employees after closing its former DEI division under SB 17

The University of Texas at Austin shut the Division of Campus and Community Engagement, which had been renamed from an earlier diversity office in an attempt to survive Texas's SB 17, and laid off dozens of employees after Texas lawmakers argued the renamed division still violated the law. UT Austin's experience with the renamed office illustrated a key dynamic in anti-DEI enforcement: state legislatures had enough investigative and budgetary power to pursue compliance even when universities tried to preserve equity-related functions under administratively neutral names. The affected staff included advisors, student success coaches, and program directors who had served first-generation and underrepresented students.