University of Utah

On June 29, 2023, the university issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads in part as follows: "The University of Utah does not use race or ethnicity as a factor in its admissions process. Nevertheless, university leaders affirmed their support for creating a campus community that serves the entire state and where all feel safe and welcome. This means exceptional students from all cultures, viewpoints and experiences call our campus home...The university considers the 'whole student' as the foundation of its admissions process. Prospective students’ applications are evaluated comprehensively, with a primary emphasis on academic performance in high school and the rigor of the coursework."

The goal of the Black Cultural Center is "increasing the recruitment and retention of Black faculty, staff, and students."

The Latinx Advisory Council at the University of Utah works with administration officials to "advise the Vice President for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in the recruitment and retention of Latinx students, faculty, administrators, and staff...."

The University of Utah's Physics & Astronomy EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Committee and Executive Committee have modified the "Departmental Retention, Promotion, and Tenure policy" to require candidates for promotion and tenure to "submit a statement of accomplishments for and commitment to enhancing equity, diversity, and inclusion."

The university offers the "Whiteness Privilege and Critical Praxis" course.

As part of the "One U Thriving" initiative, the Office of EDI hosts "Friday Forums on Racism in Higher Education."

The University of Utah has a Diversity requirement which entails taking one course on diversity.

The university's Racist & Bias Incident Response Team "oversees a centralized reporting system that provides referrals, support, and university messaging in response to incidents of bias and racism at the university."

The Ethnic Studies program at the university "examine[s] traditional forms of history and culture from the perspective of people who are underrepresented, while considering the role that race and racism play in today’s world."

Through research and education, the Black Cultural Center "will promote and explore race/racism, social justice, cross disciplines, community connections, centering the Black voice, leadership, and the larger African diasporic community."

The university's Black Cultural Center facilitates the George Floyd Memorial Fund which "directly support[s] students and programs committed to advancing the interest[s] of the next generation of aspiring Black leaders...." 

As part of an April 21, 2023 article titled "Positive steps and need to keep improving highlight the recent State of the Black U," the university reported that its Public Safety Department has partnered with the Center for Policing Equity which "works closely with communities to ensure their representation and participation in the co-production of public safety."

The university hosted a forum titled "A Call for Racial Healing", which centers around two questions: "How do we, as a community, make anti-racism an everyday action? How do we begin healing from our nation's legacy of anti-Black racism and systemic inequities that exist in higher education?"

The health sciences library created an "Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-racism Leadership Strategy (IDEALS)" site, which features resources on "implicit bias" and "microaggressions."

The Anti-Racism committee accepted applications for individuals to participate in "Anti-Blackness and racial intergroup dialogue," which will explore "experiences with privilege, discrimination and oppression with a particular social identity."

The Center for Equity and Student Belonging at the University of Utah "creates community and advocates for academic success and belonging for students across all individual identities and experiences among our underrepresented populations."

As of February 8, 2023, the Anti-Racism Committee has "begun to develop an anti-racism template to guide departments and centers in their pursuit of dismantling structures that promote and uphold racial inequality."

In August 2021, the Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF), which was formed in 2017, is now a component of the "One U Thriving" initiative and has been renamed the "Anti-Racism Committee."

The One U Thriving initiative has 4 major committees, including the "Anti-Racism Committee," the "Racist and Bias Incident Response Team," the "Universal Design and Access Committee," and the "Presidential Commission on the Status of Women."

The university hosts a monthly discussion series named, "Reframing the Conversation." Some previous events include, "Strange Fruit: Why We Must Address Anti-Black Racism" and "Inclusive Histories Matter," which sought to "tackle Critical Race Theory and the misinformation surrounding CRT.

In January 2022, the English Department affirmed its commitment to anti-racism initiatives, such as recruiting a more diverse student body.

The University of Utah hosted an Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Graduation Ceremony on May 2, 2023.

The University of Utah’s Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion division has a “ceremony dedicated specifically for individuals of the LGBTQIA+ campus community.” This ceremony is known as Lavender Graduation.

On April 19, 2023, the University of Utah held an event for “Reframing the Conversation: Turning the Tide” which “brings together experts from across campus and the community to spark important conversations around racism, othering, and safety.”

The University of Utah’s College of Social & Behavioral Science has an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee which works towards “fostering and advocating for cultural transformation with regard to equity, diversity and inclusion,” “offering resources to students, staff, and faculty to foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus,” and “standing with disenfranchised communities in ongoing liberation struggles for human rights on campus and off.”