Utah Governor Cox is once again in deep water. In a recent post on X, Cox gave a statement addressing whether Utah has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) advisor. In the post, he stated, “We do not.” Unfortunately, the past doesn’t stay buried, and the correct statement from Governor Cox should have been, “We do.” In 2021, Nubia Peña was hired as Utah’s “Senior Advisor on Equity and Opportunity.” Now, she continues to work for the state under a different title: “Senior Advisor on Access and Opportunity.” The title change simply replaced the word “equity” with “access.”
This semantic wordplay intends to downplay the role’s connection to DEI, thus aligning Governor Cox with his recent public statements opposing DEI. A quick look at the Wayback Machine reveals that her position’s name changed relatively recently, between November 20 and November 27 of last year, just weeks after Trump won the 2024 election and nine months after Governor Cox published his article on opposing DEI. Not only was her title altered to obscure the fact that Utah still has a DEI advisor, but the responsibilities of her position appear unchanged.
In his recent X post, Governor Cox refers to the director of Utah’s Division of Multicultural Affairs, Nubia Peña; simply put, this Division of Multicultural Affairs is a front for DEI. In the Cox administration’s “One Utah Roadmap,” he outlined the appointment of Nubia Peña as Senior Advisor of Equity and Opportunity for Utah’s Division of Multicultural Affairs; her duties include advising on “policy, strategy, and operationalizing equity practices in partnership with state leaders to dismantle barriers through thoughtful and cross-sector initiatives, proper systems restructuring, and leadership buy-in across Utah state government.” Furthermore, her responsibilities involve “expanding opportunities to communities with unique historical socio [sic], cultural, and economic barriers preventing them from fully participating in our state,” including “women, people of color, and individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+.” Once again, despite the title change, Peña’s duties appear to remain the same.
The shift from “equity” to “access” is deliberate and not unique. For instance, Utah State University’s memo regarding HB261 replaces “equity” with “access” as well. Instead of referring to DEI, the memo uses the terms “opportunity,” “access,” and “inclusion.” This is par for the course on the euphemism treadmill, as DEI was previously known as Affirmative Action. But now that the term DEI has soured in the public eye, institutions like USU and the Governor’s cabinet are adopting new terms. It’s the same concept, positions, and duties but simply rebranded with seemingly neutral terms designed to create the illusion of change without addressing the underlying issues.
Joseph Addington, a Cougar Chronicle alumni and editorial fellow for The American Conservative, highlighted the situation, stating, “Governor Cox will argue that he’s now on the right side of the issue, having signed, for example, a ban on DEI in Utah colleges. But it’s an illusion: at the University of Utah, for example, no DEI staff were fired; they were merely renamed and reassigned.” This illusion continues with the governor’s cabinet, where a DEI position is renamed, effectively making it seem like there is no longer a DEI position, never mind that the role and duties of the position remain unchanged.
It appears the Governor believes his constituents lack object permanence, assuming we will forget that DEI ever existed or that he once supported it simply because the terminology has been altered. Joseph Addington also reminded his readers that on November 18, 2020, Governor Cox signed the “Utah Compact on Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” pledge, which argues that “unraveling centuries of internalized and systemic racism requires bold anti-racist actions and policies.” His signature remains on this blatant DEI declaration to this day.
People are entitled to change their minds and positions in politics. However, skepticism arises when a Governor in a Republican state—elected as a Republican—appears to shift his stance only when political winds change. Governor Cox has already faced criticism for supporting Democratic policies during President Biden’s administration, only to reverse course as Republican sentiment gained momentum. This pattern makes it difficult to view his posts and statements as genuine.
As of January 23, a community note has been placed on Governor Cox’s post clarifying Nubia Peña’s DEI former and current position.
Written by: Jax McKinney
Senior Contributor and Social Media Director at the Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
