LAWMAKERS' EFFORTS THWART REGIONAL ASSOCIATION'S PLAN TO FORCE SO-CALLED "DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION" RULES

LAWMAKERS' EFFORTS THWART REGIONAL ASSOCIATION'S PLAN TO FORCE SO-CALLED "DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION" RULES

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges cancels vote on incorporating DEI accreditation rules

FRANKFORT, KY (December 7, 2023) — Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, and Senator Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, released a joint statement this week in response to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) considering a vote on new diversity, equity, and inclusion rules that would circumvent sovereign state policies and impact over 700 institutions across the association’s 11 states. State Rep. Jennifer Decker also released a statement.

Following lawmakers' efforts, SACSCOC assured the accreditation board that it was not planning to vote on establishing a DEI standard for accreditation.

“This is a significant win for intellectual diversity and freedom of thought on our college campuses,” Tichenor said following the association's decision. “We are responsible for holding our institutions of higher learning accountable in preparing students for a successful future beyond their educational career. These short-sighted DEI standards threaten the quality of education we provide young people and are counter-intuitive to the standard's stated goals.”

SACSCOC is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

“The delegates at SACSCOC were wise not to create new accreditation standards incorporating DEI initiatives, said Representative Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy. “SACSCOC’s consideration of such standards could be seen as an attempt by its unelected members to usurp the ability of the Kentucky General Assembly to set policies for postsecondary education and ensure accountability in the funding of our institutions of higher education.”

Recently, higher education institutions in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida have sought ways to circumvent their state legislatures' policies on DEI. Accrediting bodies have aimed to integrate specific elements of their DEI position statements as a standard or proponents have released statements giving the impression of a new standard, even if in conflict with duly enacted state law.

“We are not going to stand by while activists, including those within bureaucracies across the state and nation, undermine state sovereignty and the governing authority of our state legislature,” Thayer said. “We will also fight to ensure Kentuckians and their legislators govern our universities, not unelected bureaucratic activists.”

Opponents of DEI standards often express several concerns and objections. Those include fear of suppression of free speech and academic freedom, loss of opportunity for students based on their academic merits, and reducing the values of diversity to a check box exercise. In Kentucky, DEI initiatives have failed universities that have emphasized them for approximately a decade. According to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s final enrollment report for 2022, Kentucky has experienced a significant decrease in low-income student enrollment over the last five years, with indications of further stagnation until 2030.

“I am pleased the association was responsive to our concerns,” Wilson said. “We will keep our finger on the pulse of efforts to force DEI on the residents of Kentucky, and I can assure my constituents the Kentucky General Assembly will continue to look out for what is best for the students who attend Kentucky colleges and universities.”

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Senator Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, represents the 32nd Senate District, including Logan, Simpson, and Todd Counties and part of Warren County. He is the Senate Majority Whip.

Senator Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, represents the 17th Senate District, including Grant and Scott Counties, southern Kenton County, and northwestern Fayette County. He is Senate majority floor leader.

Senator Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, represents the 6th Senate District, including Oldham and Trimble Counties and part of Jefferson County.

Representative Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, represents the 58th House District, including part of Shelby County.

Access archived footage of the 2023 Regular Session and 2023 Interim meetings at ket.org/legislature/archives.