The Trump Administration has initiated its plan to further crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at schools.
On Friday, Feb. 14, The U.S. Department of Education announced in a letter that K-12 schools and universities must eliminate race-related programs within two weeks of the letter or risk losing government funding. These include, but are not limited to: cultural graduation ceremonies, culturally-themed advising and support centers and student organizations.
The decision cited the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard stated that educational institutions may not separate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race, according to the court report.
However, a federal judge blocked parts of Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI initiatives on Friday, February 21. Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson, based in Baltimore, granted a preliminary injunction that was requested by the city of Baltimore and higher education organizations who had sued the administration. The injunction argued that the executive orders infringe on free speech and are too vague to be implemented.
While many of Trump’s orders are temporarily blocked, higher education institutions could still be implicated.
USC offers a wide array of cultural institutions and programming for Trojans. The website states that the university “fosters a culture free from discrimination while promoting excellence through diversity, equity and inclusion.”
USC PR did not respond to Annenberg Media’s request for a comment.
Laura Castañeda, associate dean of diversity, equity, inclusion and access (DEIA) at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, said that the diversity, equity, inclusion and access office has changed its name to committee on community and culture.
“I guess it was in anticipation of [Trump Administration] because this [name change] was done before, but there have been a lot of units across campus that have done something similar,” Castañeda said. “There have already been some title changes for DEIA officers and they all kind of sound similar.”
Castañeda said that the name change does not affect the work the DEI office does, as the action was “a reluctance to respond immediately because every day there’s a new executive order.”
“I think the idea was — and I think this is true university wide — [that we would] ‘soften language, just because it might buy us some time.’ We’re going to continue the work — the work doesn’t stop. But let’s not make ourselves obvious targets; let’s not pick a fight,” Castaneda said.
“If you look at our Annenberg website, for example, we still are very obviously and proudly talking about all the things that we do. The Charlotta Bass events, all the work we do with diversity and Stacey Smith’s work [the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative], it’s all there,” she said
“We will be rewriting and adding language to the ‘About’ section where [Dean] Willow Bay discusses all the great work we do — [just] that language is evolving.”
However, Trojans who are members of cultural institutions on campus expressed worry about the potential implications of the executive order.
Mika Hagos, a junior majoring in international relations and global business, said she was looking forward to walking in the annual Black graduation celebration when she graduates next year — but now feels uncertain about whether or not it will still be held.
“I think it definitely changes the [USC] experience,” she said. “Everyone I know who has graduated got to experience [the Black graduation ceremony], so this is definitely a negative change.”
Siya Narayan, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering and member of the Society of Indo-Americans (SCIA), said that being a part of cultural organizations and societies is a huge part of her college experience.
“As an ethnic and an international student, I think having those groups is really important as you have people you can relate to and people who share similar experiences with you,” Narayan said.
“Especially being away from home and not being able to celebrate the cultural festivals that I would [have celebrated] with my family, I like to celebrate them here, and that has been helpful to me.”
Naomi Kassahun, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and member of the East African Student Association, said she feels that the Trump administration is taking a step in the wrong direction.
“Even though we’re supposed to be making progress, we’re going backwards,” Kassahun said. “I don’t really know what that’s supposed to look like for my future.”
Kassahun stated that without cultural inclusion, she wouldn’t feel the same sense of belonging as she does now.
David Sosa, sophomore journalism major, shared Kassahun’s sentiments.
“It’s not surprising that all this has happened, but at the same time, it is very distressing for someone who’s a person of color,” Sosa said. “It does feel like an attack on us.”
Castañeda said that she hopes USC would push back if the Trump administration orders the university to dismantle affinity groups and centers.
“Affinity groups and centers are open to everyone, and they’ve never been exclusive. That’s been clear, so I really don’t think that they have a leg to stand on, as far as that goes,” she said.
“Annenberg is really committed to continuing the DEI work that we’ve done, and supporting students and staff and faculty — even if the language changes a bit, the work continues.”