Kansas State University has resolved a student complaint about the presence of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within its student government following pressure from legislative leadership to investigate.
The Legislature passed a provision in 2025 requiring state agencies, including state universities, to eliminate DEI-related positions, mandates, programs, activities, training requirements, grants and contracts by Aug. 1.
Universities and agencies scrubbed their websites of DEI terminology, reassigned or eliminated staff positions, refocused clubs and departments, examined contracts and removed pronouns from email signatures.
But a student was not satisfied with K-State’s efforts and sent an anonymous report to legislative leadership in July outlining complaints. The Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s higher education institutions, informed K-State of potential issues within the university’s student government.
Among the issues was language within the university’s Student Governing Association’s constitution that required planning diversity training for student government members. The association also has power to allocate funds to clubs that could involve DEI-related topics. The student senate repealed the training requirement at its Sept. 4 meeting.
Marshall Stewart, chief of staff for K-State’s president, told the State Finance Council on Tuesday that K-State did not realize it was out of compliance at the time of the complaint and worked hard to course correct. The State Finance Council is made up of Gov. Laura Kelly and legislative leadership.
Stewart said students took the matter seriously and resolved to no longer disperse money or make appointments that could be in conflict with the state’s anti-DEI law.
“Universities are big, complex organizations, and I’m not going to say if you go deep enough and look hard enough you’re not going to find some things,” Stewart said. “But if you do find them, we ask that people share those with us.”
Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth organization, complained to the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office in March that K-State’s wasn’t complying with federal anti-DEI efforts. The organization’s letter mentioned the Student Governing Association and other K-State departments by name. However, it did not produce a formal investigation, according to U.S. Department of Education records.
Tuesday’s issue is a carryover from that March complaint and the State Finance Council’s July meeting. Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican and candidate for governor, had charged state officials with investigating the anonymous report, which was sent to his office.
Adam Proffitt, the secretary of administration, who must certify all agencies and universities are in compliance with the state’s anti-DEI law, presented his findings Tuesday to the council.
He said his legal team worked with K-State, and he was satisfied with the university’s updated report. Masterson commended the university’s effort but expressed interest in crafting additional anti-DEI provisions in the upcoming legislative session.
University leaders recently appeared before the House Committee on Government Efficiency to detail efforts to extricate DEI from college campuses. Legislators on the committee expressed interest in censoring related college curricula.
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Story via Kansas Reflector
