UT Diversity Matters students march across campus to the 5th floor of Andy Holt Tower where Chancellor Jimmy Cheek's office is located, in response to his absence at the groups meeting, scheduled to be held in Thomposn Boling Arena's dining area on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. (CAITIE MCMEKIN/NEWS SENTINEL)

By MJ Slaby of the Knoxville News Sentinel

KNOXVILLE — Members of the University of Tennessee Diversity Matters coalition and their supporters are planning a class walk-out and rally on Tuesday, the day after the state House passed a bill to defund the Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

On Monday, the House passed a bill in a 66-22 vote that would prevent state funds from being used to support Sex Week events, to promote gender neutral pronouns, to promote or inhibit religious holidays or to fund the UT diversity office. Funds would be redirected for "In God We Trust" decals for law enforcement and minority engineering scholarships. Currently, no state funds support Sex Week events.

And Tuesday's "mass class exit" is a response to "continuing attacks on diversity" at UT by state lawmakers and "reluctance to take tangible, meaningful steps toward resolving issues with diversity and inclusion" by university administrators, according to the diversity coalition's news release.

The event is at 1:40 p.m. Tuesday and students, faculty and staff will meet for a rally at the Humanities Amphitheater, off of Volunteer Boulevard and near the pedestrian walkway.

On Monday, the corresponding bill in the Senate was delayed by the state Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to Tuesday.

In the state House session on Monday, representatives had a lengthy discussion about the bill. Several lawmakers criticized the UT Office for Diversity and Inclusion, saying the office wasn't meeting goals and was not promoting inclusion by "excluding Christians" and using gender neutral pronouns.

Among those criticizing the office were Rep. Bill Dunn and Rep Roger Kane, both Knoxville Republicans. Kane was vocal during lawmakers' joint education committee meeting with UT leaders in March.

"There is no lack of diversity at our universities," Kane said and added that "somebody has to call the big pink elephant in the room and that's what this bill is doing."

However, others rallied in support of the office, saying diversity programs are the reason universities like UT are as diverse as they are now, and money shouldn't be diverted from academic institutions.

Rep. Joe Armstrong, D-Knoxville, said the move would send the wrong message and harm the university. He urged his colleagues to" let the university trustees run the University of Tennessee" and allow students to become critical thinkers.

"I believe that we are reaching too far out," he said and later added, "This type of censorship adds to the conflict."

Several others spoke out in agreement with Armstrong, including Johnnie Turner, D-Memphis, a civil-rights activist who said the discussion reminded her of 1916 or 1968 instead of 2016.

Turner read a letter from a UT student who wrote to Turner pleading for the diversity office to stay, and she asked fellow lawmakers to support that student by voting against the bill.

UT Diversity Matters and supporters have been outspoken about their support for diversity and inclusion with rallies on campus and calls, letters and visits to lawmakers in the spring semester after a pair of controversies — about gender neutral pronouns and inclusive holiday parities — started and ended the fall semester.

The coalition also voiced opposition to a restroom bill that would require students in public K-12 and higher education institutions to use the restroom of their sex at birth. That bill was delayed until next year on Monday.

Students in the UT Diversity Matters coalition have also had a series of meetings with administrators about demands on the behalf of marginalized students including students of color, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities. While the students and administrators have found some points of agreement, the coalition said in its Monday release that administrators have "repeatedly stalled and refused to commit to action."

More details as they develop online and in Wednesday's News Sentinel.