The University of Texas at Austin recently promoted its efforts to eliminate “bro culture” among student veterans as part of its Veterans Day outreach, aiming to create a more inclusive campus environment. In an Instagram post titled “Turning the Page,” UT Austin positioned itself as the top Texas university for veterans transitioning to civilian life by encouraging a shift away from the “ultramasculine” military mindset. The university emphasized its commitment to helping veterans adjust by fostering a supportive community that respects diverse needs and experiences.
Jeremiah Gunderson, director of Veteran and Military Affiliated Services at UT, noted that the initiative was partly inspired by feedback from female veterans who felt the office had previously reinforced a “misogynistic” culture. To create a more welcoming atmosphere, Gunderson’s team has moved away from stereotypical military decor and reframed veterans’ military skills as valuable but no longer central to their new civilian lives. This comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s 2023 ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives led UT Austin to eliminate certain DEI programs, aligning with the university’s broader push to reshape its approach to inclusivity without traditional DEI structures.
Apologies for that oversight! Here’s a bullet-point summary of the article:
- The University of Texas at Austin promoted its efforts to eliminate “bro culture” among student veterans as part of a Veterans Day campaign, aiming to create a more inclusive environment for veterans transitioning to civilian life.
- An Instagram post titled “Turning the Page” highlighted UT’s commitment to helping veterans adjust by discouraging “ultramasculine” mindsets common in the military.
- Jeremiah Gunderson, director of Veteran and Military Affiliated Services, mentioned that feedback from female veterans about a “misogynistic” culture helped drive these changes.
- The initiative aligns with broader changes following Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2023 ban on DEI programs, as UT has adjusted its approach to inclusivity while complying with the new law.
The University of Texas (UT) at Austin boasted about ridding the campus of student veteran “bro culture” common in the military in an attempt to appeal to former service members on Veterans Day.
The university posted an ad on Instagram Monday titled “Turning the Page,” in which UT Austin proclaimed to be the best university in Texas to help integrate veterans into civilian life by eliminating their “ultramasculine” mindset.
“Helping student veterans get past ‘bro culture’ and integrate back into civilian life is just one reason UT at Austin has become a top university for ex-warriors,” the post reads. “One thing that makes UT a top institution for veterans is how it helps them adjust to civilian society.”
The post goes on to say that the university helps to build a community that student veterans might be missing since leaving the military.
“There’s no stronger fraternity than the military,” Jeremiah Gunderson, director of UT’s Veteran and Military Affiliated Services, said in the ad. “I wanted to create an inclusive culture that responded to the needs of everybody. It’s an opportunity to build that community, but this isn’t bro vet culture either. You’re not in the military anymore. You don’t treat people like that. You don’t talk like that.”
Gunderson recalled previously getting “chewed out” by members of UT Austin’s women veterans group who claimed the office had perpetuated “an ultramasculine, sometimes misogynistic, mindset” and complained of the male student veterans “hitting on” them.
“A lot of other student veteran offices have camo netting everywhere,” Gunderson said. “We try to go in a different direction and say, ‘You have all this valuable experience in the military; you’ve done things that most Americans haven’t done and seen. But now you need to leave that behind.’”
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law in 2023 banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices and initiatives at higher education institutions, forcing the state’s universities to also abandon programs that favor individuals on the basis of race, gender or ethnicity. UT Austin has laid off dozens of DEI employees in response.
Gunderson and UT did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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