University of Wyoming students and several others have plenty to say about the novel DEI bills that have made their way through state legislation.
DEI, also known as diversity, equity and inclusion, is a broad term referring to the sets of policies and practices in the U.S. aiming to prevent discrimination. The organizational effectiveness of the framework has recently become a point of contention among many Americans due to its prevalence throughout office workplaces, with DEI programs found on both the state and national level. In 2024, after facing a $1.73 million budget cut as a result of state legislative action, UW administration eliminated its office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, insisting in a public letter that they would continue to “[move] forward the best we can to meet the expectations of elected officials and the people of Wyoming and continue serving our students and communities.”
In 2025, a wave of anti-DEI bills passed through Wyoming legislation. Two in particular were noted in a recent statement made by UW president Ed Seidel on March 6th — House Bill 147 and Senate File 103, with the former being signed and the latter fully vetoed on March 4th by Governor Mark Gordon. In particular, HB147 sought to eliminate governmental participation in DEI programs or policies, officially defining DEI as “any program, activity or policy that promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals or classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin.” Seidel shared administrative opinion on HB147, stating, “Our initial interpretation is that this does not prevent classroom discussion about divisive issues involving race, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin; rather, it disallows advocacy on those topics by instructors. And encouraging inquiry instead of advocacy in the classroom is one of UW’s core principles, something we will emphasize before and after the new law goes into effect. We will continue to reinforce that dialogue, inquiry, fortitude and critique by both faculty and students are critical to the classroom, while advocacy, hostility, censorship and cancel-culture are not.” In an interview, Albany County Senator Chris Rothuss shared his own thoughts on the bill, stating, “The bill is working from a standpoint that DEI somehow unfairly mistreats students or leads to some kind of bias. In my experience, that does not exist.”
For several UW students, these changes were a point of discussion. Mason Mercier, a junior, expressed the financial concerns he held over DEI legislation, stating “I think that there are certain examples of DEI being implemented, and being implemented poorly. As an individual, I want a society that values people from all walks of life. And I, in theory, would be willing to have my tax dollars go to that. But if my tax dollars are going to go to this endeavor, I want to see a return on investment. I want to see it happen in a meaningful way.” When asked if he perceived consequences from DEI bills like HB147, he said, “In some sense, if they removed DEI, it could theoretically save the taxpayers a lot of money. But where’s that money going to go?”
Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, provided their own thoughts on HB147, saying, “Frankly, I think it’s fantastic, because we’re putting qualified people in qualified positions based on their skills and skills alone. I frankly think the consideration of race and skin color and ethnicity into positions, whether governmental or private, is disgusting,” they stated. “I think we’re going to see qualified people in qualified positions. I came to Wyoming to get away from DEI, not to embrace it.”
Opinions on the bill and DEI as a whole have been mixed, with discussion of its effects being found everywhere from the Wyoming legislature to both the UW administration and student body. In his recent public letter to UW, president Seidel highlighted future administrative action regarding state law and federal requirements, stating, “If further changes must be made, we will do them in a spirit of compliance as Wyoming’s land-grant university, acting in the best interests of our students, constituents and employees.”
