“They Don’t Value Diversity as Much as We Thought They Did”: Examining Black STEM Undergraduates’ Experiences in an Anti-DEI Climate

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Black Liberatory STEM: Belonging, Wellness, and Resistance in Science Education

Abstract

Anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the US and internationally seek to dismantle and end DEI efforts across higher education and other environments, including programming, events, activities as well as hiring practices. In the state of Texas, Senate Bill 17 (SB-17) ended DEI efforts across the State’s public colleges and universities, including a variety of minority-serving institutions. Ending these initiatives has impacted countless students, but especially Black STEM undergraduates—many of whom already experienced isolating campus climates. In this paper, we examine how Black students in STEM fields experienced the implementation of SB-17 on their campuses to offer an empirical example of the deleterious effects of anti-DEI legislation across the US.

Authors

• Tia C. Madkins, The University of Texas at Austin

• Yasmiyn Irizarry, University of Texas at Austin

• Tyra Timm, University of Texas at Austin

• Nkasano R. Fullerton, University of Texas at Austin

• Chandel Burgess, University of Texas at Austin

• Caitlin Allyne Currie, University of Texas at Austin

• Juliana Okonya, University of Texas at Austin