"The question is how does this look not only to the rest of Tennessee, but the rest of the country?"University Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek vowed to continue the battles in spite of the "slap."
-- Rep. Joe Armstrong, D-Knoxville
"This is a slap on the wrist compared to the foolishness that has come out of that office in the last few years. They're lucky we don't shut that office down."
-- Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville
For background, read Christmas Parties Banned at Univ. of Tennessee but Lesbian Bondage Expert OKd for "Sex Week"
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-- From "TN Legislature votes to strip funding from UT diversity office" by Sheila Burke, Associated Press 4/22/16
Lawmakers almost sunk their own efforts to defund the office, because the House and Senate couldn't agree where to put the [funds] stripped from the office. With the Legislature scheduled to adjourn this week, both chambers had to come to a consensus or their proposal would have failed.
James (Micah) Van Huss, R-Jonesborough, was the House Sponsor of the bill who wanted to use some of the funds to pay for the "In God We Trust" decals. Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, wanted all the money to be used for minority scholarships and he wasn't going to budge.
Van Huss wanted to know why Gardenhire's bill only defunded the office for one year. But Gardenhire and others pointed out that his bill prevented UT from ever using state funds for Sex Week or to promote gender-neutral pronouns, or for promoting or inhibiting religious holidays.
"But after one year," Gardenhire said, "if UT doesn't straighten up its act, then we come down on them harder."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Sen. Gardenhire key in lawmakers' decision to suspend UT diversity funding for one year" by Andy Sher, Chattanooga Times Free Press 4/22/16
Lawmakers fumed over Gardenhire's compromise, saying it didn't go as far as they wanted while Democrats questioned the need to do anything.
. . . Other than Rep. John DeBerry, D-Memphis, a minister who often sides with the GOP on socially conservative matters, most Democrats voted no.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Defunding Diversity" by Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed 4/22/16
Even if the bill was less restrictive than it might have been, pro-diversity advocates at the university were quick to denounce the legislation.
Micah Van Huss, a state representative who pushed for the funds to be cut off, said the bill would send a message to campus leaders. In a Facebook post, he wrote, "Nothing opens the closed minds of administrators like the sound of pocketbooks snapping shut."
. . . On Tuesday, hundreds of students walked out of class to protest the bill, and many of the students sat on university walkways to block movement. Many students who marched in the protest said that a Confederate flag hanging outside a dormitory window they passed (above) offered a perfect illustration of why the university needs the diversity office.
More protests are being planned for this weekend.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Senate, House at odds on University of Tennessee diversity bill" by Adam Tamburin, The Tennessean 4/20/16
Sen. Joey Hensley, a longtime critic of the university's diversity efforts, played down the impact of the bill for minority students on campus during remarks Wednesday.
"This isn't about race — it's not about black or white," said Hensley, R-Hohenwald. "Our constituents didn't want us spending state dollars to talk about gender-neutral pronouns at UT and about not celebrating Christmas."
UT has not commented on how the diversity office would operate if the bill became law, or if the four people working in that office would lose their jobs without the state funding the office depends on. In a statement Tuesday, university spokeswoman Karen Simsen said, “It is speculative for the university to comment about pending legislation.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Tenn. legislators divert university diversity funds for year" posted at KSDK-TV5 (St. Louis, MO) 4/22/16
Short of the diversity bill failing, the outcome was the second-best that University of Tennessee and diversity advocates could have expected. When demands to "defund" diversity programs surfaced last year, the discussion revolved around $19 million spent throughout public higher education on such diversity efforts as scholarships and faculty recruitment. Later, the Senate Education Committee recommended taking $8 million from the university's diversity programs.
The compromise adopted by a House-Senate conference committee and approved by both chambers essentially is the version approved earlier by the full Senate — taking money designated for salaries in the small office of diversity and inclusion, for school year 2016-17 only and using it to fund minority engineering scholarships.
The House approved the compromise 63-21, the Senate 27-3.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Tennessee School Defies Gay Agenda Intimidation Tactic
And read Judge Rules Illinois College Must Accept 'Anti-Gay' Speech
