Lexie Shadix, Campus Carrier deputy news editor
In his first two weeks as president, Donald Trump has signed no less than 45 executive orders, leaving many Americans astonished at the pace he has taken. On Jan. 21, he signed an order aimed at dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, claiming it is focused on “ending illegal discrimination and restoring merit-based opportunity.”
“Since being on the campaign trail, Trump has been waging a war against the culture of DEI in businesses, education, basically anywhere you have DEI officers or programs,” Eric Sands, associate professor of political science and international affairs, said. “That’s what he seems to be targeting for elimination.”
The order calls for all executive departments and agencies to “terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders and requirements” and revokes several previous executive orders. It calls for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which enforces laws against discrimination in the workplace, to immediately cease “promoting ‘diversity’” and barring federal contractors and subcontractors from using affirmative action, among other things. The order also says that Trump aims to encourage the private sector to “end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.”
“Never did I think that the words ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ would be used in such a negative way and be used as if they are weapons against the country and against what we stand for,” said Cate Mendes, a junior theatre major and vice president of the Young Democrats chapter at Berry.
However, Trump is not the first to take steps towards ending DEI programs.
“It is worth noting that the discontinuation of DEI had started before Trump took office,” Sands said. “There were a number of major corporation and employers who announced they were discontinuing their DEI activities and getting rid of the organizational administrators [who] run their DEI programs.”
Furthermore, in 2023, the Supreme Court ruled to end affirmative action in higher education in the court cases Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North Carolina (UNC). The majority opinion of the court was that Harvard and UNC violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by having their admissions programs account for the race of students.
Ultimately, this executive order is not necessarily something new or surprising. The language of the order, however, is quite vague. For example, while it explicitly targets DEI, it fails to define what DEI is.
“I think there’s probably going to be a lot of wiggle room for employers and colleges to still recognize DEI goals and pursue them,” Sands said. “[However, they might] have to change the language to do so.”
Instead of colleges labeling their programs “DEI,” they may have to find new terms to discuss the same thing. Berry has already done something similar to this with its Office of Belonging and Community Engagement. While it is not explicitly labelled the “Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” it functions similarly to DEI programs.
“That’s the piece from the executive order that’s unclear, if you just change the name, don’t use ‘DEI’ and come up with something creative, are you in compliance with the order?” Sands said.
DEI is a controversial topic. While it may not be the same kind of “hot button” topic as abortion or transgender rights, it is not something that most people have come to a consensus on.
Some feel as though it has led to race-based admission into universities and the work force, which they see as unfair. Others think there are not enough DEI programs and many areas in the US are still largely discriminatory.
“I think there’s been a lot of propaganda around diversity,” Mendes said. “For instance, if we just look at this past week with the plane crash in D.C. the President said that the crash was due to DEI. I think it’s leading so many people to believe this false narrative that these programs are trying to take away opportunities from white people, which is absolutely not what they’re doing.”
Furthermore, many forget about the educational aspects of DEI programs. Solidarity Week and the Lunar New Year celebration are a few examples of this at Berry.
“DEI is also a lot about education,” Sands said. “[It’s about] helping us understand the role of race in society, and how race [and gender] operate in the workplace. I think, most importantly, [that removing] the educational aspects that DEI put in place might turn the workplace or school environments more inhospitable to minorities.”
The order does not specifically target universities, and it is currently unclear how they will be affected. However, they could potentially face having to give up scholarships and support programs focused on certain genders or ethnic groups so they do not lose federal funding.
On Jan. 31, the President’s Office sent out a campuswide email updating students and faculty on preemptive steps Berry is planning to take regarding the executive orders. The email said that “Berry’s leadership team is studying the directives as they are released and as our national associations provide insight.” President Briggs is planning to travel to Washington, D.C. this week to gain clarity on these issues. The office assured people that Berry will “act carefully and patiently in the best interest of the Berry community, consistent with our commitment to a culture of belonging.”
“I think [universities] need to continue to be ahead of the curve when it comes to being informed and being upfront with [students] about how [the executive orders] are going to affect us,” Mendes said. “[Universities should try] to not let them impact us in too many negative ways.”
Trump’s DEI orders have not been reviewed by Congress or the Supreme Court, and there is little that one administration can do that cannot be undone by the next, as presidents have proved time and time again.
“I think [students] should advocate for what they believe in, and I would hope they believe in diversity, equity and inclusion,” Mendes said. “That can be as simple as posting on your social media. But even better than that would [be to] start conversations about it and talk to people in and out of your circles.”
As more executive orders are passed in the, people can find fact sheets at whitehouse.gov detailing their intent. People can also watch for email updates from the Office of the President.