In late September 2025, Weber State University (WSU) informed faculty members and students scheduled to present at the university’s annual Unity Conference that they were required to ensure that their presentations complied with Utah House Bill 261, a law banning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In response, some faculty members pulled out of the conference, prompting event organizers to cancel it.

WSU’s 2025 Annual Unity Conference (previously known as the Diversity Conference) was scheduled to take place on October 2-3, 2025, focusing on the theme “Redacted: Navigating the Complexities of Censorship.” The event was hosted by WSU’s division of Student Access & Success,the funding for which is subject to HB 261, which was passed in January 2024 (see report).

On September 29, the director of WSU’s Basic Needs Center sent an email to a student scheduled to present at the conference asking them to resubmit their slides for the conference after removing all mentions of “DEI,” “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” in order to comply with HB 261. The student was scheduled to present at the conference with an associate professor of psychological studies, Sarah Herrmann, whose academic research focuses on the impact of HB 261 on student academic performance and persistence. In response, Herrmann and the student withdrew from the conference, stating that they could not present their research without using the censored terms.

Following the withdrawal of Herrmann and the student, WSU’s Vice President for Student Access and Success Jessica Oyler sent a note to all presenters and volunteers, stating that the conference’s programming could not discuss “prohibited discriminatory practice,” as defined by HB 261 and that “[p]resentations should not describe legislation or policies in ways that take a side, such as labeling them ‘harmful’ or attributing them to a partisan ‘strategy.’”

On October 1, the Unity Conference organizers announced that they would cancel the event, stating, “we have determined we cannot in good conscience deliver the high-quality, meaningful experience that our community expects and deserves.” Instead, on October 3, the WSU faculty and staff union held a teach-in, titled “Unity Conference: Uncensored Version.” The event was initially held outside, but transitioned inside because of rain. Once inside WSU buildings, the participants were told that they must comply with HB 261’s regulations. At that point, organizers chose to continue the event by organizing participants into small discussion groups.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about a university censoring academic expression and the resulting cancellation of an academic event. SAR is also concerned about a state legislative act which demands censorship of ideologically disfavored terms and discourse and threatens financial or other sanctions for those failing to comply. State-ordered, university-enforced censorship is a direct violation of institutional autonomy and academic freedom. It undermines the university’s authority to set policies concerning personnel, admissions, content of research and teaching, and the establishment of academic or student-support programs. While government officers and elected officials have a right to express their opinions on higher education, including critical opinions, they must refrain from using the powers of their offices to exert undue or coercive pressures. While universities generally must follow applicable law and policies, they also have an affirmative obligation to challenge any such laws or policies, or to mitigate their harms, when such laws and policies violate core higher education values, including in this case equitable access, academic freedom, and autonomy.

Sources:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2025/10/08/weber-state-censors-then-cancels-censorship
https://www.ksl.com/article/51385129/uncensored-conference-on-censorship-held-at-weber-state-university-after-canceled-event
https://www.sltrib.com/amplify-utah/2025/10/04/weber-state-teach-in-censorship/
https://www.weber.edu/unity-conference/