UNL, UNO students concerned with closure of diversity resources

The University of Nebraska campuses in Omaha and Lincoln are dissolving offices focused on diversity. Many students on both campuses are concerned about the closures.

The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, or ASUN, is the student government representation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In its first meeting of the semester, the student representatives went into closed session to discuss the university’s decision to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett announced the decision in an email to faculty and staff last week. Students did not receive the email.

Furqan Mahdi and Emma Lindsey are co-chairs of ASUN’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee. Mahdi said the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, or ODI, provided a lot of support on campus.

“Those people go above and beyond what their job description is to support the students, like I have definitely had meetings with some of their staff at like 8 p.m.,” Mahdi said. “They were willing to stay till like 8 p.m. and meet with me to work on my project.”

Mahdi worked with the office to create a multi-faith room on campus. That project took a year and a half — even with the office’s support. According to Mahdi, the loss of that resource will only put more work on students to create safe spaces on campus.

“Students are already stressed about school and having to get a job, having to get an internship, be involved, and on top of that, now they are worried about, ‘Oh, is this campus safe enough for me,'” Mahdi said.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was a central space for organizations to highlight their events, especially groups connecting diverse populations. The office also helped students find the different resources they need on campus.

Lindsey said losing the diversity office means students could be jumping through more hoops.

“For students that already feel like they're uncomfortable on the campus because they can't find that office, that adds just yet another weight to them, which isn't fair," Lindsey said.

For Mahdi and Lindsey, the announcement came out of nowhere.

“Especially on the week of Big Red Welcome, it seemed really poorly timed,” Lindsey said.

Both Mahdi and Lindsey said students were not a part of the discussions that resulted in closing ODI. Lindsey said prioritizing diversity is important to preparing students for the workplace after college.

“We push out people into the workforce that aren't as educated as they could be about the world and the people within it," Lindsey said. "Because that's what the world looks like, it's diverse. Without it, we are failing students and our peers and all of these things and the future workforce.”

Within the university system, Lincoln isn’t the only campus losing a resource.

The University of Nebraska-Omaha closed its Gender and Sexuality Resource Center this summer.

UNO Student Body President Ishani Adidam said the center provided a range of support for students. It was a safe space for them to explore their identity. It also provided support for students in situations like domestic violence.

“We did staff victim and survivor advocates that really help students go through and navigate that process, finding and connecting them with the resources," Adidam said. "Those resources are still available, but support for that has been cut down tremendously.”

The closure came a year after Multicultural Affairs also closed at UNO. Both offices merged with Student Leadership, Involvement and Inclusion. However, positions from both resources were dissolved during the mergers.

For now, UNO’'s Office of Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion remains open. Adidam said students are concerned that what happened in Lincoln could happen in Omaha, too.

At UNL, the ODI was established in 2018. Saisha Adhikari was a student when the office opened, and was a part of the student government. She said the university’s focus on diversity felt like a performative statement before.

“One time I was walking on campus, and one of the student tour guides when they were walking by the Jackie Gaughan, it was kind of like ‘Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center, here's your DEI,’” Adhikari said. “No one would be talking about what resources were on campus that already existed, what work students were doing that were to address DEI. That wasn't really being talked about before.”

Once the vice chancellor was hired, Adhikari said the office immediately hosted events to meet with students. She saw that momentum continue past her graduation.

Adhikari said she is confused and disappointed with her alma mater’s decision to close the ODI.

“The sentiment that the higher administration had was that they were excited to help the university move forward and lead towards inclusive excellence to advance UNL’s mission,” Adhikari said. “But what happened to that now? Like, why was that no longer there?”

Many students, like Mia Perales, are asking the same questions. Perales is a sophomore environmental engineering major at UNL. She said that diversity should be a funding priority.

“I think it should be within the budget, and I don't understand the need to dissolve it in order to rewrite things,” Perales said. “I know they talked about how they're going to reorganize and then figure out a plan, but honestly, I don't really think that makes any sense, and I think that's just an excuse to get rid of it all together.”

Perales is a part of the Mexican American Student Association and the Multicultural Greek Council. She said the ODI was a place for diverse student populations to go.

“It's important to have that place where students can go and they can feel comfortable, and they can feel heard and valued,” Perales said. “Now that it's taken away, a lot of students are terrified because they don't know where that community is going to lie.”

Perales said student groups are concerned with losing funding they got through the ODI.

UNL students still have access to resources like the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center, student-run diversity clubs and the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services — better known as OASIS.

Amber Rodriguez, a senior journalism student, has frequently attended diversity and inclusion events.

“What I loved about those events is that they weren't exclusive,” Rodriguez said. “They never told me, ‘Oh, just because you're not an Asian student, you shouldn't be here.’ They are welcome to anyone learning about their culture, to anyone being involved. They want people to learn more about them. I think that's the whole point of having a diversity program.”

Rodriguez said ODI helped students have uncomfortable conversations that result in learning more about the world. Now, they fear that could be lost.

“I don't know how I can say that I'm proud to be a Husker or student on campus as a journalist, when resources that help diverse voices and diverse audiences are being taken away,” Rodriguez said.

Classes started earlier this week, and many students are concerned about the campus’s future without the resource.

A university spokesperson said there’s no set date for when the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will close.