President Trump signed an executive order to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs on January 20, calling them “shameful discrimination” despite their intention to increase diversity in schools and workplaces.
A week after Trump signed the executive order, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released memorandum M-25-13. The memorandum halted government funding for DEI initiatives, including “financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, woke gender ideology, and the Green New Deal.”
Across the nation, responses to the announcement have already begun taking shape with mixed reactions.
On January 23, Rutgers University Center for Minority Serving Institutions canceled a conference for helping HBCU students gain access to apprenticeships. The group cited Trump’s order as the reason for cancellation.
USC clubs are also being negatively affected by Trump’s order, such as Community Service for Hermanas Unidas, a Latine support group with chapters across the country. Vanessa Bibiano, the chair of HaU de USC, said her chapter has the lowest membership rate throughout the country because people are scared to come to their events.
“I feel like because of the political climate, a lot of students are just facing external pressures like negative rhetoric,” she said. “...instead of pushing us to unite, [removing DEI] kind of does the opposite.”
USC is an ethnically diverse school. Students of color make up more than half of the student population, according to USC’s student demographics reported in 2024. Bibiano also said that the federal disapproval of DEI has made clubs worry over the safety of their members at events.
“I get very stressed just because I have to also think about our flyers,” she said. “Just advertising the [club’s room] number on it because of safety reasons… I’m in another [club], it’s the Pre-Law Womxn of Color Collective. We also switched to where you’ll get the room number in an email.”
When asked how DEI programs will be affected on campus, USC said in a statement to Annenberg Media that it is “reviewing all executive actions, and we follow all state and federal laws.”
Students and faculty said they want more clarity on USC’s actions to support DEI programs, like getting funding, being recognized by the university or giving any form of guidance on what to do amid these times.
“People feel like the university could maybe do more to offer public support to our clubs,” Bibiano said. “...I feel like USC is also in a weird position right now where nobody really knows what’s going to happen.”
The American Association of University Professors at USC also wanted more clarity.
Professors in AAUP-USC asked in a public statement to President Carol Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman on whether the university will continue campus activities related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
“We and many other members of our campus community are eager to hear from you on these matters,” they stated. “It is our firm conviction that there are both practical and moral reasons for USC and the higher-ed sector as a whole to demonstrate resolve in the face of these threats.”
The statement also asked if USC will share student names with federal agencies for their political affiliations and asked for concrete guidance on what the campus community should do if ICE targets members of the institution.
“I feel very saddened personally since we’re a Latine club, we do have a lot of undocumented students,” Bibiano said. “Personally, it worries me. Not only for them to feel comfortable coming to school but coming to our club.”
USC said to Annenberg Media in January they will comply with existing university protocol during Trump’s national ICE raids.
“The university has a longstanding protocol with respect to warrants or criminal subpoenas of any kind,” the university said in the statement.
Trump’s non-stop, consequential orders like threatening to deport international students, the federal funding freeze, his tariff war, restricting gender-affirming care and now crushing DEI programs will continue to affect USC’s campus community.