Fallout From Alabama’s Anti-DEI Law: College Offices Close, Websites Scrubbed

By Rebecca Griesbach | rgriesbach@al.com As freshmen thumbed through dorm posters and shopped for school supplies at the University of Alabama’s student center during the first week of school, other spaces in the building were noticeably empty. References to “diversity” have been scrubbed from office name plates. All signage had been removed from the once-bustling Black Student Union office. The former Safe Zone Resource Center, formerly filled with books, Pride flags and portraits of LGBTQ trailblazers, is now just an ordinary conference room. The offices have been closed and “will not be relocated,” according to the university. “We are saddened by this loss – not just of a physical space, but of a place where we have gathered, shared, and built a community rooted in our shared experiences, struggles, and triumphs,” BSU President Jordan Stokes wrote in a statement on Instagram Wednesday. The organization was established in 1968. “Our office was more than just four walls; it was a haven for all of us, a place where we could be ourselves, support one another, and celebrate our culture and heritage.” The changes stem from a state law, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in March, that stops state institutions and universities...