News: TYCA DEI Committee--Information and Resources

[ten grrl]

Hi Colleagues,

As you may know, TYCA has a standing DEI committee that is focused on providing support and resources to folks as they navigate the complications of doing DEI work in our current national, state, and institutional contexts. 

After talking with many members and holding roundtables at several regional conferences, we've found that the most pressing needs members have include updated information on, resources regarding, and solidarity around the constant changes and varying contexts we face as faculty and staff working in two-year colleges.

To that end, the DEI committee is working on providing periodic updates, creating resources for talking with college administrators, and continuing to hold roundtables at each year's TYCA regional and national conferences.

Below, please find some informational highlights we've collected from the months of March, April, and May. If you have any questions, any information or resources to contribute, or are interested in joining our committee, please email me at bethany...@gmail.com.

Thanks!
Bethany Sweeney

TYCA Secretary

Accreditation Changes (May 21):

"Elimination of diversity standards: In alignment with the administration's policy directives, the proposal prohibits accreditors from mandating or requiring policies that support racial diversity, tying compliance baselines narrowly to federal civil rights definitions.

First Amendment and civil rights policies: In a modification from ED’s initial stance, accreditors will not directly assess whether a college has violated constitutional law or civil rights statutes. Instead, they will be forced to verify that institutions have explicit policies addressing these areas and that they are consistently enforced."

https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Draft-Rules-Passed-to-Overhaul-Accreditation-.aspx

Executive Orders (Mar 26):

“President Trump signed an executive order late Thursday that doubled down on his efforts to force colleges and other federal-funding recipients to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

The order, titled “Addressing DEI Discrimination By Federal Contractors,” directs departments and agencies to insert a clause in all federal contracts requiring an attestation that colleges “will not engage in any racially discriminatory DEI activities.”

Thursday’s directive, unlike Trump’s 2025 executive order aimed at DEI in the public and private sectors, provides a specific definition of activities the government sees as problematic: ‘disparate treatment based on race or ethnicity in the recruitment, employment (e.g. hiring, promotions), contracting (e.g. vendor agreements), program participation, or allocation or deployment of an entity’s resources.’”

https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-trump-agenda/in-new-order-trump-says-colleges-must-attest-they-wont-promote-dei-to-receive-federal-funding?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_17465234_nl_Academe-Today_date_20260330

Freedom of Speech (May 26):

A Ball State University professor received a $225k settlement after being fired for a private social media post about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Though this case specifically pertains to a professor at a four-year school, this is an issue we've seen impact professors across the higher education spectrum.

https://www.aclu-in.org/press-releases/aclu-of-indiana-reaches-settlement-in-first-amendment-lawsuit-against-ball-state-university-president/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_18291497_nl_Daily-Briefing_date_20260527

Legislative Tracker:

If you haven't seen it, The Chronicle of Higher Education has a DEI legislation tracker, linked below. It is not always updated as quickly as it could be, and it sometimes misses laws that have a substantial DEI impact or that pertain specifically to two-year colleges, but it's a good starting resource:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/here-are-the-states-where-lawmakers-are-seeking-to-ban-colleges-dei-efforts

Resources for Taking Action:

Many members have expressed concerns about what to do if they are directly challenged about curriculum choices or DEI advocacy. While we are not equipped to offer legal advice or address specific situations, we are able to offer several practices we recommend that everyone broadly consider:

• Take time to read the details of your institutional policies related to academic freedom and free speech to ensure you understand the affordances and limits of such policies

• Explore whether any union or professional organization to which you belong offers free or discounted legal services or consultation. Employee assistance programs sometimes also offer legal services, though in a limited capacity

• Keep good written records of curriculum materials, work done in meetings, and professional interactions

• Know your rights regarding third-party representation in meetings with supervisors (institutional policies, Weingarten rights, etc.)

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