The University of Alabama is dismantling race- and gender-based programs as it moves to comply with state law restricting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at public institutions.
The changes follow the passage of Senate Bill 129 in 2024, which placed restrictions on DEI programs at public universities.
Under SB129, public universities are now required to avoid policies or programming that could be interpreted as favoring individuals based on race or sex.
As first reported by The Crimson White, over the past year, the university has modified or completely removed several programs that previously targeted students based on race, gender or identity.
One of these changes involved closing the Frances S. Summersell Library on campus, which "served as a valuable resource" on topics such as "Women's and LGBTQ History," "Gender Studies," and "Race/Class/Culture," among others.
The Summersall Library was a part of the Summersell Center for the Study of the South, hosted within the J. Frank Barefield Jr. College of Arts & Sciences.
A review by 1819 News shows that the Queer History South program is also offline. The homepage of the Summersell Center still shows the mission of the program, "chronicling the emergence of the queer movement at the University of Alabama and the state."
The Women and Gender Resource Center was also renamed by the University to the Camellia Center last May.
"The center's services remain the same," said Alex House, associate director of communications for the University told the Crimson White at the time. "The team will continue to provide advocacy, outreach and support related to interpersonal violence for UA students, faculty and staff, along with programming that promotes well-being and connection,"
The university also suspended the student publications Nineteen Fifty-Six and ALICE Magazines for their focus on identity groups.
Last Spring, the University also changed its rules requiring student organizations to include a discrimination statement in their constitutions that included "gender identity, gender expression, and sexual identity," following pressure from a student organization and state lawmakers.
Several programs, including women in STEM housing (Delta Initiative) and race-specific initiatives (BRIDGE and Lucy's Legacy), were either discontinued or restructured.
BRIDGE will be allowed to be relisted as a University Program in the future, pending further approvals.
The university has also moved to consolidate programs while maintaining access to services.
House told the Crimson White that BRIDGE and Lucy's Legacy "are continuing and increasing cooperation under one umbrella management program."
The restructuring mirrors a broader trend in higher education, as universities statewide scrutinize DEI programs in response to legal challenges and evolving public policy.
Trenton Buffenbarger is a senior at the University of Alabama and is the Chairman of the UA Young Americans for Freedom.
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