U President’s Office To Stop Use of ‘Diversity Questions or Statements’ in Hiring

 

On Friday, the Office of the President emailed all University of Utah hiring units to “discontinue the use of any type of diversity statements or similar practices as part of their unit-level applicant or employee hiring processes.”

The move comes after recent statements from elected leaders and directives from the Utah Board of Higher Education who plan to phase out diversity, equity and inclusion in the Utah higher education system.

Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah’s public colleges and universities currently require new hires to sign “diversity statements” — statements he named “bordering on evil.”

However, no diversity questions or statements can be made on job postings, and as The Salt Lake Tribune reports, “all of the state’s schools say they don’t have statements applicants must sign.”

In one example of a diversity statement used on a U job posting it said, “The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students from diverse backgrounds and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education for historically underrepresented students.”

Cox said diversity statements were “very political,” and the Utah Legislature plans to ban their use entirely. 

“​​We’re forcing people into a political framework before they can even apply for a job in the state,” Cox said.

Now, the President’s Office has prompted all university hiring units to discontinue using diversity statements and questioning. 

In the email shared with the Chronicle, the university said they strive for “excellence in education, research, patient care, and service to community … [and they] must have a dedicated team of individuals from every walk of life.”

According to The Tribune, the email was sent to all deans, department chairs and other senior leadership positions at the school who lead the search and hiring processes for new employees.

“We affirm our commitment to non-discriminatory hiring practices and the wellbeing of our patients and campus community,” the email read.

The email noted the Human Resources teams on the main campus and University of Utah Health are available to assist in developing job postings and interview questions to help determine an applicant’s knowledge and abilities to meet aspects of the job’s functions.

“We also recognize that our recent and future successes as a leading public research university will come from retaining and recruiting the students, faculty, and staff needed to reach our goal of becoming a top 10 public research university with unsurpassed societal impact,” the email read. 

 

l.hanson@dailyutahchronicle.com

@LibbeyHNews