Chancellor Bruce Updates Campus Reorganization

Dear Campus Community:

Prior to the beginning of the fall semester, UT System President Randy Boyd wrote to all university employees in which he reaffirmed our collective commitment to complying with federal and state law with respect to the university’s access and engagement efforts, which he defined as focused on three areas: providing academic access, fostering community partnerships and promoting merit-based student success.

I am writing to offer additional context regarding the relevant federal and state laws and guidance relating to our access and engagement efforts and to make you aware of our efforts to ensure UTC is in compliance with the law while also continuing to be a vibrant community where people from different backgrounds come together to learn, grow and prepare for the future. UTC is and will remain a place where every voice can be heard and every student, regardless of background, can fully participate in the UTC experience.

What new legal developments should our employees and students know about?

On July 29, the United States Department of Justice issued a memorandum explaining the DOJ’s position that “federal antidiscrimination laws apply to programs or initiatives that involve discriminatory practices, including those labeled as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (‘DEI’) programs.” The DOJ stated that recipients of federal funds “must ensure that their programs and activities comply with federal law and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion or other protected characteristics—no matter the program’s labels, objectives or intentions.”

Four new state laws also recently took effect:

1. Dismantling DEI Departments Act (Public Chapter 458): This law states that public institutions of higher education “shall not use a discriminatory preference in an effort to increase diversity, equity or inclusion or establish or maintain an office, division or department for such purposes.”

2. Dismantle DEI in Employment Act (Public Chapter 494): This law states public institutions of higher education “shall not base an employment decision on any metric that considers an applicant’s or employee’s race, ethnicity, sex, age or any other similar demographic characteristic, rather than on individual merit, qualifications, veteran status or lawful eligibility criteria.” 

3. Discrimination in Admissions or Financial Aid (Public Chapter 245): This law prohibits higher education institutions from considering an applicant’s race, color, ethnicity or national origin in determining whether the applicant qualifies for admission to the institution, or for scholarships or financial aid offered at the institution. It also prohibits an institution from excluding a person from participating in, denying a person the benefits of, or subjecting a person to discrimination at the institution based on the person’s race, color, ethnicity or national origin.

4. Discrimination and Antisemitism at Educational Institutions (Public Chapter 293): This law prohibits antisemitic harassment and discrimination in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, requires all university employees to report complaints of antisemitic harassment or discrimination to the campus Title VI coordinator, and imposes other requirements relating to antisemitism, which are incorporated in a new UT System policy, GE0005.

What does this mean for our campus?

UTC is committed to complying with the state and federal laws and guidance concerning its access and engagement efforts. And while UTC will make necessary changes to some of its programs and activities to ensure that it is in compliance, all such changes will be premised on the straightforward notion of providing its students and employees, both in practice and in spirit, equal access to its programs, activities, services and benefits, regardless of their color, national origin, sex, religion or other protected characteristics.

To that end, UTC is in the process of implementing several changes to its student services programs and operations:

• As previously announced to the Student Government Association on Sept. 16, the Women’s and Gender Equity Center, the PRISM Center, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and the Office of Student & Family Engagement will be sunset, and a newly established UTC Center for Student Leadership, Engagement and Community will be created.  The new Center is designed to enrich the student experience by fostering engagement, advancing leadership development, and strengthening community connections through collaborative partnerships within UTC and the greater Chattanooga community. In merging existing centers, the Center will be well positioned to offer programs, events, services, resources and support for all students and student organizations at UTC. A soft launch is scheduled for Oct. 15, following fall break. This change reflects more than just a name and organizational change—it represents an expanded mission to support student involvement, leadership development and community engagement more comprehensively. All staff impacted by this restructuring will remain employed at the University. Some will serve within the Center, others will transition to the Title IX Office, and additional staff will focus on assessing student programs and services to strengthen retention efforts within the Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. The focus remains on keeping students the center of our work, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to be connected and engaged with the campus and community through their graduation and beyond.

• We are also in the process of assessing our student organization registration process to ensure that all student organizations and clubs on campus, regardless of their nature or purpose (academic, recreational, professional, Greek or otherwise) are housed under and supported by a central office. Under this structure, all our current student organizations, including our student affinity organizations, will continue to have the same opportunities to operate and thrive as under the existing structure. The opportunities for our students to associate and organize as they wish will not be diminished. The centralized structure, though, will help ensure that all organizations are subject to the same registration requirements and have equal access to the university’s resources.

Please note that the laws and regulations described above do not alter established academic freedom protections and do not impact our academic programs and course offerings.

As we continue to assess our programs and activities to ensure compliance, other changes to our student operations and programs may be made. Ultimately, our core services and commitment to students remain unchanged. Faculty and staff will continue to work with the same people they are accustomed to, with expanded offerings and opportunity.

At UTC, our goal is to make education attainable by ensuring every student has the opportunity to access resources designed to help them learn, grow and thrive. We are committed to excellence that ensures every student, regardless of background, feels they belong, they matter, and they can succeed.