historian said:
I hope Baylor is not stupid enough to engage in this blatantly bigoted and unconstitutional policy.
New IRS Rule To Strip Private Schools At All Levels Of Tax-Exempt Status For Using DEI
I would not be so sure.....they are committed to DEI
President Livingstone went to Austin and would NOT commit to the Legislature that Baylor would roll back DEI and not use race & sex characteristics in various ways on campus....now and in the future.
[President Linda Livingstone met with state legislators on Monday in Austin to evaluate the future of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Baylor after a wave of state-wide bans swept the state of Texas in recent weeks.
"You will see us continue to lean into supporting students and faculty from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences," Livingstone said.
Baylor as a private institution is not bound to these state mandates in the same way Texas public universities are.
"
We appreciate that our legislature in Texas values the independence of private institutions in this state and recognizes that the role of the state government in state institutions is different than the role of the government in private institutions like Baylor," Livingstone said.
Baylor has received "a lot of support from legislators," in recent weeks about how the university will function in terms of DEI, she said.
"We do pay a lot of attention to what [legislators] decide on behalf of public institutions and
try to make sure we understand the spirit of that but continue to function the way we believe we should in support of our Christian mission as a university," Livingstone said.
On a broader scale, the swift eradication of DEI programs continue as the Trump administration gives public schools and universities a two-week deadline to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money.
While Baylor individually awards a number of
merit-based scholarships to students, the university also receives a number of federal and state grants. The official memo from the Department of Education last week includes the elimination of scholarships of students from certain racial background, according to
AP News.
With this mandate in mind, Livingstone affirms that need-based scholarships at Baylor are safe, and she doesn't anticipate that changing.
"When it comes to scholarships, most of what students get from the federal government are grants based on need, so they are not tied in any way to the gender or ethnicity or the race of an individual," Livingstone said.
In addition to federal and state scholarships, Baylor also receives a number of federal research grants through
Grant.gov, which includes $400 billion in grants for schools around the nation.
"We do continue to watch carefully what happens in the research space and grants and contracts from the federal government as it relates to research that our faculty are doing," Livingstone said.
According to Livingstone, Baylor has not seen a halt in federal funding and does not have any concerns that they will but will continue to monitor it closely....
Livingstone said. "We will certainly continue to do that while continuing to lean into our support, care and concern for all the members of our community."
Discussion about the future of
DEI at Baylor will continue, according to Livingstone, who met this week and last with the university's general counsel, student government and the deans of several academic departments.
"We will continue to be engaged with the community, with our students [and] our faculty and staff," Livingstone said. "We're going to certainly continue to find venues where people have questions and want to learn more and to be as educated as possible."
As Baylor's administration continues to deliberate....
Baylor is now faced with a socio-political crossroad: uphold its commitment to diversity as a private university or blend in with the unavoidable fate of state education. With this in mind, Baylor will continue to lean into its core values as a Christian institution, Livingstone said.
"I think everything we do on campus is driven by that mission and by supporting the wide array of people and backgrounds they have on campus," Livingstone said. "And we want to do that in a caring, loving and respectful way."]
https://baylorlariat.com/2025/02/26/livingstone-addresses-future-of-dei-at-baylor/
