IU has made several changes to website pages concerning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Six culture centers are now listed as departments under the Office of Student Life web page.
The centers have been and still are listed under the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website with links to their own web pages.
According to a now-archived web page captured Feb. 18, the culture centers were not previously listed as departments under the Office of Student Life.
Senior Allison Taube, a member of the Asian Culture Center and multicultural organization representative, said she was at a student leader lunch in the ACC when the change was announced by culture center faculty on March 6.
“We were told that culture centers would be moving under the Office of Student Life after this transition,” Taube said. “While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it sort of rose concerns because will the culture centers have as much support as they do if it's under Student Life?”
Currently, the culture centers operate under OVPDEI. The office provides support for culture center programming, outreach and advocacy. The IDS has not yet been able to directly confirm that culture centers will be moved to the Office of Student Life. IU has not responded to multiple requests for comment at the time of publication. The Associate Vice Provost for Student Life and Vice President of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have not responded to requests for comment.
Taube created an email template students and faculty can send to IU Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost for Student Life Lamar Hylton to share their concerns and beliefs on the importance of the culture centers.
“This is all word of mouth, but IU needs to make a statement on it because it’s such a big topic,” Taube said. “Especially with culture centers being such an integral part of a lot of people’s campus experiences, we want to know what’s happening.”
Changes to DEI language on IU websites and signage
The IDS also observed changes to the OVPDEI website, which it verified against two archived versions of the website. The IDS used an internet archive website that catalogues previous versions of web pages, saved to the archive by other internet users.
On the OVPDEI homepage, a drop-down column formerly labeled “Diversity Education” was changed to “Professional Development.”
Other dropdown columns, which previously included links to websites including the "Leadership Certification Program,” "Inclusive Campus Environment Toolkit," "previous workshops" and “LinkedIn Learning: Diversity Path,” were altered to only include the "Inclusive Campus Environment Toolkit.”
The contact for diversity education and cross-cultural engagement is also missing from the OVPDEI website. The previous version of the page was last captured by an internet archive web page Jan. 23.
A university website allowing users to recommend “potential underrepresented minority students” to IU, which would then allow the OVPDEI to contact those students about pre-college programs and funding opportunities, also seems to be missing. The page was last captured Jan. 19.
The headline of the Faculty and Belonging site, “Faculty and Belonging: A Strategic Focus on Faculty Diversity” was edited to remove the word “diversity.”
A subhead reading “Exploring Diversity in Higher Education” was changed to “My Journey to IU,” and the “Diversity Tools and Resources” section also appears to have been removed. The page was last captured Jan. 19.
The Office of Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion website is also missing links including recommended DEI readings, a glossary of DEI terms, IU’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals resource page and a “‘bookette’ with advice, wisdom and inspiration for Young Black men.”
Additionally, a dropdown menu that included “Strategic Diversity Plans, Reports and Tools” and hiring and retention resources has been removed. The previous version of the page was last captured July 10, 2024.
IU’s Office of Institutional Equity has also changed its blurb on its home page, removing information about the history of the office and its efforts on the Bloomington campus specifically.
A bullet point reading that the office collaborated with other departments to “offer training and information on affirmative action, equal opportunity, diversity” was changed to “offer training and information on search and screen processes”. The page was last captured with the old bullet point Feb. 16, and a Feb. 21 capture showed the current version.
An IU poster is pictured March 24, 2025, in Franklin Hall in Bloomington. Posters previously displayed in several halls titled “Build a community where all belong” were replaced with ones titled “Build a community of unity, we can overcome bias together."
IU has also changed signage around campus that omits certain words.
A poster previously displayed in Franklin Hall, Ernie Pyle Hall and Simon Hall elevators titled “Build a community where all belong” encouraged students and staff to “find a cultural connection” and engage in diversity workshops and training. This poster is still up in the Chemistry Building elevator.
New posters titled “Build a community of unity, we can overcome bias together,” now focus on bias incidents and how to report instances of hostility motivated by racism, religious intolerance, political ideology or other prejudice. The word “diversity” has been removed from the poster.
Legislative push against DEI
These moves follow recent federal and state directives. On Jan. 15, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed an executive order dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion in all state agencies.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Jan. 21 aiming to “end illegal discrimination.” The order states, “illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity.”
Since then, the state has been working to eliminate DEI initiatives through Senate Bill 289. Under this bill, state educational institutions may not “manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of employees with preference to race, sex, color or ethnicity.”
While universities may still “develop noncredit programming that promotes cultural and intellectual diversity,” state universities cannot promote policies, procedures, training or other programing designed with reference to race, sex, color and ethnicity.
The University of Virginia is one of the many state educational institutions making changes to its DEI programs. On March 7, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin praised the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia in a press release for their unanimous vote to eliminate the university’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
In an email to students and staff in February, Ivy Tech Community College announced its decision to close all diversity, equity and belonging offices across the state beginning March 12.
Columbia University has taken similar action to IU, removing diversity, equity and inclusion language from several of its websites. According to the Columbia Daily Spectator, its School of General Studies' DEI page can no longer be accessed as of February.
IU School of Medicine canceled its annual LGBTQ+ Health Care Conference on Jan. 29 because of “challenging” timing given state legislation, executive dean Mary Dankoski said during a University Faculty Council meeting Feb. 18.
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