In the past month, the Trump Administration has been cracking down on DEI efforts in schools and universities, and Living Learning Communities, or LLCs, could be impacted.
Last Friday, Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, published a letter to educators. His letter gives schools until the end of the month to abolish their DEI efforts. This includes but is not limited to, scholarships, financial aid, and culturally themed dorm floors. According to the letter, these programs violate anti-discrimination laws and legal precedent set in the affirmative action rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.
On campus, USC Housing and Residential Education is partnered with Student Equity and Inclusion Programs to create several LLCs for freshmen and sophomores. These LLCs provide opportunities for students within a community to live together and participate in tailored cultural events. One of these LLCs is located in USC’s Birnkrant dorm, where there is a dedicated floor for Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi-American (APIDA) residents.
“I feel like living in APIDA makes me appreciate my culture in a way because it’s like going around campus meeting different people,” said Michael Li, a freshman studying biomedical engineering. “It’s very nice to see diverse mindsets and everything.”
Li is comfortable there for big and small reasons, both are equally meaningful to him.
“In our dorm, I prefer not to wear my outside shoes. It’s very nice that my roommate also thinks similarly and it’s just easier in that sense, instead of having to deal with the small things,” said Li.
Other communities with LLCs include First Generation Plus at Birnkrant, the Rainbow Floor at Century Apartments, and a Latinx/Latine floor at Pardee Tower. Pardee also has a floor called Somerville Place, a living-learning community for Black-identifying students.
Loveleigh Viera, a sophomore residential advisor at Somerville Place, shared how the dorm is celebrating Black History Month.
“I’ve been doing a little program that every week I get a dinner from a different Black-owned restaurant around the city. And I’m actually having my next one tomorrow, but it’s just nice to see everybody come down and we’re all eating together, celebrating Black excellence, ” said Viera.
Many students in these communities say they find a new appreciation for their culture and it helps them integrate into USC. However, even before the Trump administration’s new legislation on DEI programs was discussed, LLCs encountered pushback at the beginning of this school year.
Cesar Serrano is a sophomore public relations major and residential advisor for the Latine Floor at Pardee Tower. Serrano said last fall some residential advisors were told that these spaces may slowly disappear and they have already noticed the impacts.
“We saw the lowest amount of residents apply to the LLCs this year,” said Serrano.
He points to certain barriers making it harder for students to apply for these spaces. For example, the application requires a supplemental essay and the community must be listed as the student’s first choice on the housing application.
“It’s not promoted well and so seeing how there’s been less interest this year than ever before and that conversation was already happening about taking them away...I wouldn’t be surprised if they did,” said Serrano.
Recent conversations about DEI programs have been centered around whether such initiatives are discriminatory. However, Viera believes that many students are simply eager to find a sense of community.
“To have to go through your entire college experience and not have someone to culturally connect with...[and] not to know where to find that, it’s very discouraging,” said Viera.
USC hasn’t given an official statement regarding last week’s letter from the Education Department, which says to end the DEI initiatives. However, many students and those in LLCs are hopeful that incoming students will continue to experience the benefits of cultural-themed dorm floors.