The University of Kentucky is being accused of failing to comply with Kentucky’s new law banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programming at colleges and universities.
The Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank, and Kentucky-based attorney Christopher Wiest, wrote a letter to Kentucky attorney general Russell Coleman (R.), asking him to take action against the University of Kentucky to compel the school to comply with the state’s law passed earlier this year banning DEI programming.
“The Attorney General may bring a civil action to compel any institution to comply with HB 4. Given the Board’s noncompliance with the clear requirements of state law, the Attorney General should bring an action to compel compliance,” the letter reads.
Attached to the letter is Kentucky’s institutional neutrality policy sent in response to a public-records request.
“As a learning institution, the dissemination of ideas, debate and open inquiry are essential to this mission,” the statement reads.
“For these reasons, and as a public institution of higher education and state agency, the university does not take official positions on or issue public statements about societal issues and events that do not directly impact the mission or function of the university. The university may issue public statements about internal issues or events at the institution as well external issues and events that directly impact the university’s operations or ability to pursue its mission.”
Kentucky’s HB 4 required boards of public colleges and universities in the state to adopt a viewpoint neutrality policy by the end of June and publicize that policy online and in school handbooks. The University of Kentucky delegated that authority to its president and did not adopt or ratify the president’s viewpoint neutrality statement, making it noncompliant with state law, the Goldwater Institute letter argues.
NR has contacted the University of Kentucky for comment.
Kentucky’s law mandates viewpoint neutrality policies to ensure that individuals are not discriminated against because of their political or social views. Schools are also expected to promote intellectual diversity within the institutions.
Last year, the University of Kentucky dissolved its DEI office after state lawmakers attempted to pass legislation to prohibit DEI at public universities. Kentucky is a deep-red state with a GOP legislative supermajority powerful enough to overcome the veto of Democratic governor Andy Beshear.
Kentucky is one of numerous red states to pass laws barring DEI from academic institutions, and other states have seen similar instances of universities failing to fully comply with those laws, as NR previously reported.
On a federal level, the Trump administration has moved to crack down on DEI in universities and American institutions more broadly. The administration has launched a barrage of civil rights investigations into universities for alleged racial discrimination in connection with DEI programs.
Beyond that, several large corporations have scaled back DEI programs because of the federal government’s opposition to it and the changing legal landscape surrounding DEI. The Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling barring colleges and universities from using race-based admissions policies put similar DEI policies in legal jeopardy.