Campus grapples with DEI during the Trump administration

Student organizations with roots in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are wrestling with questions and uncertainty following President Donald Trump’s executive order to eliminate “illegal discrimination.” 

These organizations include the NAACP, LGBTQ+ Coalition, Solidarity Organization for Latinx Students, and the Student Center for Equity and Inclusion.

After President Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, he signed nearly 40 executive orders during his first week in office, targeting areas such as immigration, the environment and federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, better known as DEI. 

On Jan. 21, Trump signed the executive order “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” with the goal of enforcing civil rights laws by ending “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race-and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’” according to the text of the executive order released by the White House.

UR student affinity organizations are wrestling with how to move forward without compromising their missions to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

“I would like to see us partner with a lot more cultural organizations on campus,” said Myanna Hightower, political action chair of the UR NAACP Chapter that was established last year.

Hightower said that now more than ever, she would like the NAACP to have a bigger presence on campus and for the organization to be a safe space for students of color, as well as students with different backgrounds and ethnicities.

“As minorities on campus, we should be supporting each other and supporting the initiatives of other groups and organizations,” Hightower said. The NAACP is just one of many campus organizations facing questions and uncertainties following presidential orders.

But students in affinity groups have no plans to eliminate their organizations.

“No matter what, LGBTQ+ students aren’t going anywhere. POC students aren’t going anywhere. Their stories are still here,” said Alli Alvarez, former vice president of the LGBTQ+ coalition and LGBTQ+ program assistant for the SCEI.

Alvarez explained that the coalition and members of the LGBTQ+ community are continuing as usual despite Trump’s attempts to eradicate DEI. She emphasized the importance of community in creating change and said the coalition will continue to be there for students, whether they consider themselves a part of the LGBTQ+ community or not. 

“I hope that in this time more individuals will want to be a part of a community, and be able to turn off the news and have fun,” Alvarez said. 

Though student affinity groups are looking to stay positive and use Trump’s orders to bolster their presence and communities, both Alvarez and Hightower also commented on the difficulties that come with the uncertainty of Trump’s executive orders. Both student leaders emphasized the divisive power of misinformation. 

“I think it’s very harmful what Trump is doing because he is fear-mongering and scapegoating a community which is less than 2% of the US population,” Alvarez said, referring to the transgender community. “The issue really is misinformation and people not knowing, and that’s really villainizing.” 

According to a May 2022 survey by Pew Research Center, 1.6% of U.S. adults are transgender or nonbinary, while a December 2023 report by the Williams Institute at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law found that about 5.5% of the US population identifies as LGBTQ.

Another of Trump’s executive orders focuses on the rights of transgender individuals. Under the title “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” this order seeks to defund hormone therapy and sex-change operations for transgender children under the age of 19.

“Now that we have TikTok back, it can showcase what’s going on to people: teachers' reactions to their students pulling out of schools in masses, and celebrities' reactions,” Hightower said. “People are really worried.” 

Morgan Russell-Stokes, Director of the Student Center for Equity and Inclusion, echoed Hightower’s sentiment. 

“There has been specific concern for the communities the affinity groups are designated to serve. People are asking: can these clubs and programs exist? Will the SCEI still be there?” Russell-Stokes said. 

She emphasized that the university staff will continue to maintain their commitment to DEI as long as they can. 

“These are not discriminatory programs,” Russell-Stokes said.“None of our programs are violating any policies outlined in the executive order.” 

She ensured that the SCEI exists to safeguard and serve the interests of students. 

“Our job is to protect the students on these roads,” Russell-Stokes said. “If I have to get dinged for creating platforms for everybody to have a voice, I would say that’s a good day’s work.” 

Russell-Stokes also emphasized the ability of students to stand up for themselves in the wake of the new administration’s policies. 

“Now is the time for students to recognize their power,” Russell-Stokes said. “We have got to commit to making this community a better place. It’s too easy to think ‘well that’s not gonna happen to me.’”

UR President Kevin Hallock addressed DEI and Trump’s executive orders in a recent email to the university community.

“We remain focused on our core mission and values, as well as advancing our strategic priorities of academic excellence; access and affordability; belonging and community; well-being; and experiential learning and community engagement,” Hallock said.

Co-Presidents of the Solidarity Organization for LatinX Students, Tyler Morales and Jessica Espinoza-Flores released a statement on the SOLS Instagram page following Trump’s executive order on DEI. 

“We released the statement to declare our presence on campus,” Morales said. He and Espinoza-Flores emphasized the importance of DEI efforts on campus, especially because of its potential to divide students. 

These campus DEI leaders hope to develop more diverse membership for their organizations. Morales and Espinoza-Flores underscored the significance of affinity groups and their ability to break down barriers and open up dialogue across campus.

“There is already so much division, I would hate to see more,” Morales said. “People tend to ignore what doesn’t affect them.”

SOLS is continuing to support LatinX students and multicultural students. They hope to provide refuge for students of color, who can struggle to find community at predominantly white institutions, Morales and Espinoza-Flores said. Data released by UR in fall 2024 shows that 62% of the university population is white.

“Our students have way more power than they think they know,” Russell-Stokes said. “Resources won’t disappear if they demand answers of the university.”

Contact city and state writer Emily Asselin at Emily.Asselin@richmond.edu