Although an executive order is not a law, the University of Rutgers’ Center for Minority Serving Institutions canceled its upcoming virtual mini-conference scheduled for Jan. 30, citing the executive orders Trump signed targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
According to Inside Higher Ed, the center emailed individuals who had registered for the event on Jan. 23 to explain its decision.
“We were very excited to bring the HBCUs and Registered Apprenticeship Mini-Conference to you next week,” the email read. “Unfortunately, due to President Trump’s Executive Orders…we have been asked to cease all work under the auspices of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility HUB at Jobs for the Future, which the U.S. Department of Labor funds.”
As the outlet notes, Rutgers, located in New Jersey, a blue state, has not been pressured by
any state legislators to cancel its DEI initiatives. However, higher education policy experts and advocates for diversity, equity, and inclusion have long predicted this kind of reaction under a Republican agenda.According to Brendan Cantwell, a professor of education at Michigan State University, “That wariness and sort of pre-emptive compliance, even absent direct threats from the federal or state government, might be somewhat universal.”
The Department of Education, which Trump promised to eliminate at various points during his campaign, announced on Jan. 23 that it would take a series of actions against DEI.
Per their news release, “The Department removed or archived hundreds of guidance documents, reports, and training materials that include mentions of DEI from its outward-facing communication channels [and] put employees charged with leading DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave,” agency officials
said. “These actions are in line with President Trump’s ongoing commitment to end illegal discrimination and wasteful spending across the federal government. They are the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools.”According to The Inquirer, Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway notified the university’s leaders that several offices had received stop-work orders for federally funded grant activities involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. He also reminded the leaders that the university is to “remain committed to building an inclusive community.”
Although Rutgers canceled its event, largely because the federal government principally funds the center, officials in other states indicated that it’s currently too soon to determine the exact impact of Trump’s executive orders.
Kate Shaw, the executive director of the Pennsylvania State Board of Higher Education, said in a meeting with the board on Jan. 22 that they are monitoring the situation.
“We are watching in real-time as the new administration is putting policies in place,” Shaw said. “I think it’s a little too early to know exactly what the parameters of those policy changes are going to look like.”
According to Vox, the orders from Trump targeting DEI mark a significant pivot away from 2020, when the high-profile murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor spurred companies to invest in diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
They note that although legal challenges against some of Trump’s executive orders will be forthcoming, six members of the Supreme Court agree that affirmative action (in this instance, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs) amounts to discrimination.
According to Patrick Reis, Vox’s senior politics and ideas editor,
“Progressive groups may challenge many of these actions in court, but they could face long odds, as the Supreme Court’s majority takes a dim view of affirmative action. And with Trump’s executive order promising more anti-DEI steps in the coming months, America’s anti-DEI revolution is well underway. The implications of that revolution will be felt in government, business, academia, and virtually every other faction of civic life for years, if not decades, to come.”RELATED CONTENT: Federal Workers Could Face ‘Adverse Consequences’ For Not Outing DEI Colleagues