For five hours, UNI students gathered in front of The Commons to express their support for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.

The protest was in response to the Iowa Board of Regents meeting which happened in the Slife Ballroom in The Commons, in which the Regents deliberated a report from its three-member Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) study group, which was formed last month to study DEI programs at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 560 into law last June, which directed the BOR to conduct a “comprehensive DEI study and review of Iowa’s public universities.”

According to a meeting preview released by the BOR, “The group gathered information from a variety of campus leaders and solicited public input online to form its report.”

The report in question notes ten recommendations which are divided into four categories: current structure of DEI and compliance functions, human resources, academic and curricular matters, and free speech and related matters.

Several students diligently took their turn to address the crowd on Wednesday, many holding hand written signs and pride flags.

One student who identified themselves as Carolina took the stand in front of the crowd of protestors and expressed how DEI had affected her time at UNI. They said, “I am a Latina queer woman and arguably, someone who is very affected by DEI. I find it incredibly salient that we keep fighting to keep these services on campus.”

They continued, “Going to a PWI, a predominantly white institution, can be an incredibly isolating experience. I’ve met several friends through DEI services, and knowing you have that community here on campus is incredibly important to feeling a sense of belonging at UNI.”

Another student, James, is an RA on campus and said DEI programs are a great resource for students.

“DEI offers a space for everyone in the community and specifically on campus to go and be themselves. This affects me as an RA because DEI is a fantastic place to not only get educational sources for myself, to make my communities welcome, it’s also a place where you have people are very educated and good at what they’re doing.”

Many students relayed how DEI resources on UNI’s campus has allowed them to discover their authentic selves.

A student who identified herself as Sarah said Gender and Sexuality Services helped on their journey of discovering their identity.

“Through DEI services I figured out I was an asexual. Without DEI services I probably would’ve struggled even longer. I felt like I was missing something and something was wrong, but through DEI services I was able to figure out that I’m not wrong, I’m just different.”

The BOR is set to meet again on Thursday, and students are expected to speak at the public forum.