The Chilling Effects of Anti-DEI Legislation on College/University Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students

• In Event: Policy Without Borders: Rethinking Higher Education Reform Across Nations and Narratives

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a study focusing on the effects of anti-DEI legislation on faculty, staff, and graduate students. The purpose was to utilize a critical and intersectional analysis of the unintended or "chilling" effects of this legislation. Sixteen states have currently passed these laws. The study utilizes Critical Policy Analysis (CPA) and Critical Discourse Analysis, along with Critical Race Theory and intersectionality to explore how race, gender, and other intersecting identities mediate lived effects of anti-DEI laws. Focus groups, interviews, document analysis of legislation, and a netnography were utilized as data collection tools. Initial findings show three emerging themes unintentional consequences, chilling effects on faculty and graduate students, and the corporate hegemony being pushed farther into higher education.

Author

• Brianne Kramer, Southern Utah University