A student standing outside basketball game to support the Office of Diversity

A group from the University of Tennessee students out of a basketball game Saturday Vols to support the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

This comes after members of the Education Commission of the Senate of Tennessee voted unanimously on Wednesday to amend the annual budget of Governor Bill Haslam, taking approximately $ 5 million away from diversity initiatives throughout the UT System, and put towards rural extension programs.

The group of UT students wore all black and sat together in the student section. They left the game 1:15 and gathered outside Thompson-Boling Arena.

"UT has been doing the bare minimum for diversity and inclusion. We want more. We are expecting more. We are here," said Kristen Godfrey, a graduate student at the University of Texas.

Students carried banners with the hashtag #UTDiversityMatters and the names of several state lawmakers have proposed legislation that would cut funding for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

"I feel like when people ask me why it is important diversity, are asking me" why is it important to my existence? 'That's why we're doing this as a way of survival. We need to pay attention to this campus, "Godfrey said.

Dozens of students joined the group, including soccer players Vol Alvin Kamara and Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Kamara tweeted a picture of the student section during the game.

It has been a more or less controversial for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion year. In 2015, he faced criticism from some lawmakers put online for promoting the use of gender neutral pronouns, and another that called for parties religiously included.

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