Protesters Make the Most of the Board of Regents Meeting
AN OVERVIEW
On August 24, 2023, several students, faculty and community members gathered at the University of Texas System Board of Regents meeting to protest in defense of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Unfortunately, the sit in did not go as planned.
The protestors had planned to start at 9 am because according to the released schedule, that was when the meeting would begin. In particular, the agenda slated the first recess to not take place until 10 am and that the meeting would be open for the public to attend. With this information, the protesters believed they would have at least an hour to protest while adhering to the meeting rules.
Upon arriving, the protesters were met by the Chief of Staff and Senior Police Inspector II of the UT System Police dressed in a suit. To our discomfort, we did not learn of this person’s title until after the protest. They proceeded to direct everyone to a separate room where the presidents of almost every UT System university were as well.
At about 9:12 am, the Board went into recess. It seemed as if they had intentionally ran through all of their agenda items in only 12 minutes, leaving the protesters little time to participate in the meeting or take appropriate action.
In that time, the Board made several decisions to comply with the anti-DEI law. According to the public meeting agenda, they ultimately decided to rename Rule 10701 in the Regents’ Rules and Regulations from “Policy Against Discrimination” to “Compliance with Laws Related to Race, Color, National Origin, Ethnicity, Religion, Sex, Age, Veteran Status, or Disability.” “Compliance with laws” is markedly different from policies against discrimination because not all laws are designed to protect the aforementioned groups from discrimination.
With the presidents in the room and some unexpected free time, the protesters started to chant and speak about why they should support DEI. Instead of addressing the concerned students, the administrators ignored them by focusing on their laptops or cell phones.
Protestors also chanted in the lobby to not disrupt the Board meeting. This was until the police inspector from before told them to stop because they could be heard in the meeting room.
After the recess ended, the protesters went to the back of the meeting room and held up signs. Chairman Kevin P. Eltife briefly acknowledged the protesters, simply stating that they were present. The meeting continued as planned with everyone respecting the rules and not disrupting the meeting.
Still, the Board continues to provide little to no direction on the implementation of the anti-DEI laws and endangers marginalized students and DEI staff.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the protesters attempted to speak to Chairman Eltife and express their opposition to the Board’s decision. Chairman Eltife thanked them for being there. However, when students tried to ask him about the future of DEI, he said they have to follow the law and the Board deserves the same respect that they have shown the protestors.
Some of the protesters also tried to discuss this issue with UT Austin President Jay Hartzell. He seemed to avoid providing clear answers to any questions about a statement addressing the passage of SB 17 and it becoming a law.
OUR TAKEAWAYS
We learned a lot from this protest. We learned that the Board of Regents meeting schedules can be unpredictable, regardless of what is posted. We learned that the Board of Regents was expecting our arrival. We learned that anyone in the building wearing business clothing could be a security guard. We learned that this body views us as a threat — not concerned students engaging in peaceful protest because those in power continue to actively ignore marginalized student voices. Nonetheless, the protesters in attendance resolved this strenuous situation as best as they could, and did as much as possible to make the most of the meeting.
