A University of Central Oklahoma employee told an undercover operative her whole job was technically illegal under the state's new DEI restrictions, then reversed herself when later confronted openly by Accuracy in Media president Adam Guillette, saying her job was not illegal at all. The university says the comments don't reflect reality on campus, insisting there are no illegal jobs at UCO.
Accuracy in Media, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that describes its work as citizen activism and undercover journalism, released the footage this month showing Shatima Bennett, UCO's coordinator of student engagement within Enrollment and Student Success, speaking with an operative who posed as a former DEI official from another state, according to KOKH. In the recording, Bennett said, “Technically my whole job is illegal if you want to be honest,” according to The College Fix, which reported that Accuracy in Media published the four-minute edited video on Oct. 5.
When Accuracy in Media's Adam Guillette later approached Bennett openly, she denied the earlier statement and said “my job is not illegal,” the outlet reported, declining to discuss the matter further on camera. Guillette told the publication the group investigates universities in states that have banned DEI to assess whether campuses are complying, and he said Bennett's statements, which he called radical, were enough to raise concern — though he did not identify a specific UCO program, policy or action independently verified as violating the law.
What Bennett Said About Student-Led Workarounds
In the footage, Bennett described how DEI-style activities continue through student organizations rather than through her office directly. “These are student-led organizations. That's kind of how it's made legal,” she said, per The College Fix. She also said the law made employees' jobs harder and required certain loopholes for some activities, per the same account.
Bennett pointed to a planned November 2025 march focused on missing and murdered Indigenous people as an example, saying students planned it while she advised them about logistics, according to Accuracy in Media. She said she helped obtain the route, explained the rules and walked in the march herself, but could not organize the protest because she is paid faculty and staff, per the group's account.
The Law Behind the Dispute
Senate Bill 796, signed into law in 2025, bars Oklahoma public colleges and universities from using state funds, property or resources to support DEI positions, departments, activities, procedures or programs, according to the bill text filed with the Oklahoma Legislature. The law also requires institutions to review their DEI-related positions and programs for compliance and to submit an annual certification to the governor and legislative leaders, beginning July 1, 2026, per that same bill text.
The statute exempts activities of recognized student organizations, academic freedom, scholarly research, guest speakers and short-term performances, along with certain qualifying student-support services, so long as those services are designed and implemented without regard to race, sex, color, national origin or ethnicity, according to the bill text.
UCO's Response and the Paper Trail
UCO told KOKH it complies with the state's restrictions and has protocols in place, including an annual internal review and completion of the required state certification. The university said Bennett's personal comments do not accurately describe her university role or reflect university practices, adding flatly that there are no illegal jobs at UCO. The school declined the station's request for an on-camera interview.
The Regional University System of Oklahoma, which oversees UCO, submitted a June 26 certification on the university's behalf, signed by Debra L. Lyon as RUSO general counsel and interim CEO, addressed to the governor, the Oklahoma House speaker and the Senate president pro tempore. In it, RUSO and its universities certified they comply with the law and have no reportable DEI positions or programs meeting the statute's definition, which covers positions or programs that grant preferential treatment based on race, color, ethnicity or national origin.
An open-records response obtained by KOKH found no final, non-privileged written finding, memorandum, directive or report since Oct. 5 assessing Bennett's video comments or compliance with the law, and identified no final written records responsive to the station's request. The response did not state whether UCO conducted an internal review after the video was published. State Sen. Adam Pugh, the SB 796 author who represents Edmond, declined the station's interview request, and Guillette said Accuracy in Media had not heard back from UCO after reaching out for follow-up.
A Pattern Beyond Oklahoma
UCO is far from the only campus Accuracy in Media has targeted. Guillette told The College Fix the group has released about 65 hidden-camera videos about higher education in roughly 10 states, while Inside Higher Ed reported the group has released edited undercover videos targeting roughly 40 universities across a dozen states over the past two years — accounts that differ on the exact scope and time frame. The group has also deployed mobile billboard trucks at campuses, and in some cases at the homes of students and employees, since fall 2022, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Its targets have included Columbia, Harvard and Princeton, as well as large public universities such as Ohio State, UC Berkeley, the University of Colorado Boulder, CUNY and Seattle Central College, per Inside Higher Ed. The outlet also noted that a U.S. Justice Department investigation into Arizona State University cited “recent viral videos” when it was announced in June, after the group had repeatedly targeted that campus with undercover recordings. Inside Higher Ed described the organization's focus on DEI and antisemitism in education as a departure from its roots as an anti-communist, media-criticism group.
