The Arkansas Legislative Council Higher Education Subcommittee decided the week before last was the perfect time to grill state universities over their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 

Legislators questioned staff of multiple Arkansas universities about DEI program standards and how they affect the enrollment process.

Spoiler alert — according to UCA President Houston Davis, they don’t at all.

But, he made some fantastic points about the importance of diversity and how it helps provide opportunities for minorities by taking the necessary steps to be inclusive. 

The Oct. 16 hearing discussed the results of a survey sent to Arkansas colleges and universities, which detailed their DEI efforts, intentions and budgets.

While Davis’ efforts are immensely appreciated, it’s going to take more for Arkansas lawmakers to stop pushing the idea that supporting diverse groups and allowing them to receive a quality education is not a bad thing.

The suspicion of the legitimacy of university DEI practices comes just four months after the Supreme Court gutted affirmative action in the university enrollment process on the basis that it gave minority groups advantages over others. 

Diversity and inclusion initiatives are not propaganda to pit us against one another or make one group of people superior to others. They are designed to support those who may not feel represented when they step on campus and to aid their academic success. 

The next week, the Arkansas Legislature’s Joint Performance Review Committee invited an out-of-state conservative to recommend lawmakers defund DEI practices.

At the Oct. 24 meeting, Jon Schweppe told legislators that DEI does the opposite of its purpose and instead increases animosity between racial groups. 

He said it “provides opportunity for some while cheating others,” but this simply is not the case. 

Our beloved President Davis stood his ground during the hearing the week prior and insisted that DEI practices are to aid all students, not to meet quotas.

Arkansas lawmakers are setting out to cultivate the perspective that giving minorities opportunities because of their race is a harmful and unfair practice.

The truth is that these are the necessary steps that we, as a society, must take to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

It hasn’t even been 60 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 went into effect, and evidently, Arkansas legislators are already sick of us helping out the underrepresented.

It is troubling that the survey results revealed that UCA is the only state university with a DEI dean — Chief Diversity Officer Angela Wiser — but sadly, she was not in attendance at the meeting to voice her opinions on the value of her job and what services her office provides to students.

These meetings should serve as a wake-up call that there is a more significant issue at stake here and that Arkansas legislators have a few tricks up their sleeves for future legislation.

One is state Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, who led the Oct. 16 meeting and interrogated university staff members.

Sullivan seems to oppose DEI, stating that “some of our actions are not necessarily based upon merit and need.” Sullivan publicly announced plans to study this “issue” and to propose legislation during the 2025 legislative session.

A study done by the Pew Research Center shows that Gen Z and Millennials are more welcoming of societal changes than older generations, such as gender-neutral pronouns, same-sex marriage, and, in this case, DEI. 

A staggering number of Arkansas legislators are over 60, and the gap between the cultural respect and perspectives that younger and older generations have cannot be ignored. 

This initiative could end programs that provide opportunities for Arkansans who have historically been denied access to those benefits. 

Because of UCA’s continuous efforts, our campus is a staple in Arkansas for its diverse student body. Without these programs, UCA may lose that special touch for so many current students and generations of students to come. 

This is a step backward that we genuinely cannot afford to take.