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The University of Alabama is requiring the Black Student Union, a minority advocacy group, to close its current office in the flagship’s student center, according to a BSU Instagram post.
Union president Jordan Strokes said in the statement that students are saddened to lose not just the physical space but also the symbol of “shared experiences, struggles and triumphs” it represents.
“Our office was more than just four walls,” Strokes wrote. “It was a haven for all of us, a place where we could be ourselves, support one another, and celebrate our culture and heritage.”
University officials told The Crimson White, a student news group, that the decision was made in accordance with state Senate Bill 129, which prohibits public higher education institutions from funding diversity, equity and inclusion programs and offices. The closure will also affect the AU Safe Zone, an LGBTQ+ resource center.
“No University program, space or benefit will contain impermissible restrictions, preferences or limitations related to race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity,” a university spokesperson said in an email statement to The Crimson White.
The administration has not said where either center will be moved to, but student groups that previously met there can reserve general meeting spaces in the student center and other campus facilities.
Alabama is the latest institution to respond to anti-DEI legislation by implementing changes that impact student affinity groups. The University of Missouri at Columbia, which announced last month that it would terminate its DEI office, recently forced the campus Legion of Black Collegians to rename their Welcome Black BBQ or cancel the event altogether.
