Indiana’s Attorney General questions Butler’s DEI practices. Photo by Andrew Buckley.

EMMA MCLEAN | MANAGING EDITOR | emclean@butler.edu 

CALEB DENORME | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | cdenorme@butler.edu 

The future of Butler University’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies are in question after a recent letter sent to the university by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.

Rokita’s letter, sent on May 28, claims that Butler’s DEI ideals and practices may contravene federal and state civil rights statutes by implementing goals aimed at attracting people from marginalized backgrounds. Rokita sent a letter to DePauw University on the same day and issued a similar message to the University of Notre Dame 19 days prior, signaling the initiation of inquiries into DEI policies at all three private institutions. 

In his letter to Butler, Rokita stated that “virtually all forms of racial discrimination—even those employed in service of the interests of diversity, equity, and inclusion—are unlawful.” Rokita also asked the university to provide answers to questions and requests regarding DEI policies by June 27 to “[assess] Butler University’s compliance with civil rights laws and the terms of its nonprofit status.”

For a university to maintain nonprofit status, the entity must be organized to operate under Indiana law for a public or charitable purpose. To do so, the university “must not be so at odds with the common community conscience as to undermine any public benefit that might otherwise be conferred,” as stated in Bob Jones Univ. v. United States. 

Rokita argues in his letter to Butler that the university’s DEI policies are an act of racial discrimination, and institutions that practice racial discrimination are not organized for a public or charitable purpose. Rokita went on to write that “discriminatory practices perpetuated ‘for whatever reasons,’ and even with good intentions, still jeopardize and are inconsistent with a university’s nonprofit status.”

Edyn Curry, a junior double majoring in biology and psychology and president of Butler’s Black Student Union (BSU), expressed disappointment and concern over the potential consequences of Rokita’s rhetoric. 

“[Rokita] is playing with students’ lives, messing with their overall being, their education and their college experience,” Curry said. “I’m hopeful that [President Danko] will be very level-headed when it comes to this and he will take into consideration all the students that go to Butler.”

Butler was built in 1855 by abolitionists as a non-sectarian education with a strong belief of equity. The university often championed inclusivity — admitting students of color from its establishment, becoming the nation’s second university to admit men and women on equal basis and establishing the first endowed chair for a female professor in the nation. Rokita’s scrutiny of Butler’s DEI policies sparked concern among students and community members who fear that such efforts threaten the foundational values of Butler.

Sydney Taylor, a junior psychology major, liaison for Butler’s Diversity Program Council (DPC) and DEI director at Kappa Kappa Gamma, worries about Rokita’s intentions and potential impact. 

“In reading Rokita’s letter, I was under the impression that he was coming from this stance that DEI intends to single people out [and] isolate people,” Taylor said. “I definitely do not find this to be the case, especially at Butler … I think that [removing DEI policies] just goes against everything that Butler was made to be as an institution, a place where anybody could come and receive an education.”

Rokita’s actions are part of a growing national effort by conservative lawmakers to dismantle DEI initiatives in education, as well as general intervention into private institutions. 

Butler alum Anna Sutter, who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the university, responded to Rokita’s letter by sharing a visual timeline of Butler’s DEI efforts on social media. 

“The big part of [advocacy] is education and teaching people things they don’t know,” Sutter said. “The last part of that timeline was showing that Danko is capable and able to stand up against Todd Rokita. I do believe that he has the power, the leverage, the people to do so … he actually might be the exact person we need in this role during this time.”

Sutter also expressed skepticism over the motives behind the letter, suggesting it may be more about political pressure than legal consequence.

“People like [Donald] Trump and Todd Rokita like to play on people’s fear,” Sutter said. “They frame it like it’s going to get really bad for [universities] if they don’t comply. And honestly, I call the bluff. I want to see if they really want to do what they say or just try to play a power move to see how many dominoes they can knock over with just a letter.”

As of June 29 — two days after the Attorney General’s deadline — Butler University has not issued further public response to Rokita’s demands, nor has it confirmed whether the requested information was submitted. Butler’s President James Danko, who has often expressed support for campus diversity, remains under pressure to respond not only to state officials but also to students, faculty, alumni and others invested in the university’s inclusive mission.

Butler College Republicans declined The Collegian’s request for comment. 

The Butler Collegian will continue to report on this story.