TULSA — Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order Wednesday that he says will encourage equal opportunity, rather than promising equal outcomes.

The order is against DE&I measures in colleges and universities and state agencies.

It requires a review before higher education institutes can support diversity, equity, and inclusion positions and programs that grant preferential treatment based on one person’s particular race.

“Encouraging our workforce, economy, and education systems to flourish means shifting focus away from exclusivity and discrimination, and toward opportunity and merit,” said Gov. Stitt. “We’re taking politics out of education and focusing on preparing students for the workforce.”

The order requires state agencies and institutes for higher education to initiate a review of DEI positions, departments, activities, procedures, and programs to eliminate and dismiss non-critical personnel.

State agencies and institutions for higher education shall not utilize state funds, property, or resources to:

• Grant or support diversity, equity, and inclusion positions, departments, activities, procedures, or programs to the extent they grant preferential treatment based on one person’s particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another’s;
• mandate any person to participate in, listen to, or receive any education, training, activities, procedures, or programming to the extent such education, training, activity, or procedure grants preferences based on one person’s particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another’s;
• mandate any person swear, certify, or agree to any loyalty oath that favors or prefers one particular race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin over another;
• mandate any person to certify or declare agreement with, recognition of, or adherence to, any particular political, philosophical, religious, or other ideological viewpoint;
• mandate any applicant for employment provide a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement or give any applicant for employment preferential consideration based on the provision of such a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement; or
• mandate any person to disclose their pronouns.