After Controversies, Lawmakers Could Strip Funds From University Of Tennessee Diversity Office

State lawmakers could strip more than $3 million in funding from the University of Tennessee in a dispute over its efforts to promote diversity.

The move comes after web posts from the school’s top diversity officer sparked the ire of conservatives.

Sen. Joey Hensley, the chairman of the state Senate’s higher education subcommittee, is raising the prospect of slashing the school’s budget for minority outreach. The Hohenwald Republican says many Tennesseans are upset at the University of Tennessee’s diversity programming.

“We don’t want to micromanage. We don’t try to micromanage our public universities. We leave that up to the boards and to the presidents, but we do represent people in this state.”

Hensley admits taking its money away would be tricky. Lawmakers don’t have direct control over the university’s budget.

The controversy has been building for several months. It began with a post on “gender neutral” pronouns and flared up again recently over whether games like dreidel and Secret Santa ought to played at holiday gatherings. Many Republicans say the diversity office is going overboard.

Reining in its budget would actually be a less dramatic step than another that’s been discussed. Some have called for the university’s chancellor to resign.