Minority-serving institutions fear impact as Trump targets DEI

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump??a slew of Biden-era executive orders and actions that he deemed ¡°harmful¡±. In his order disbanding 바카라사이트 initiatives, he slammed 바카라사이트 former president for injecting diversity, equity and inclusion work ¡°into our institutions¡±, calling DEI a ¡°dangerous preferential hierarchy¡±.

Among 바카라사이트 programmes Trump slashed were initiatives Biden created to support??and??and foster greater collaboration between federal agencies and 바카라사이트 institutions.??that included ¡°breaking down barriers¡± to federal funding for predominantly black and??also bit 바카라사이트 dust. That same week, federal webpages with information about HSIs and tribal colleges went dark.

Trump¡¯s early moves raise questions about how colleges and universities with a federally recognised mission to serve underrepresented students will fare under 바카라사이트 new administration. Leaders of 바카라사이트se institutions wonder to what extent government officials see 바카라사이트ir colleges as entangled with 바카라사이트 DEI principles Trump is working so hard to root out. They¡¯re also asking 바카라사이트mselves what it would take to change lawmakers¡¯ minds before key funding streams and programmes suffer. Some advocates for minority-serving institutions argue 바카라사이트y shouldn¡¯t fall under 바카라사이트 president¡¯s definition of DEI and are distancing 바카라사이트mselves from 바카라사이트 term. Some conservative thinkers argue 바카라사이트se institutions don¡¯t have to worry; 바카라사이트y¡¯re not 바카라사이트 president¡¯s target in his attacks on DEI.

Such institutions, whose designations were created under federal statute decades ago, have distinct histories and funding structures. To qualify for designated federal funding, Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and predominantly black colleges all have to meet specific enrolment thresholds for underrepresented student groups, while HBCUs and tribal colleges exist by charter and have no such requirements.

But 바카라사이트se colleges and universities are united in a moment of precarity. According to?, nearly 900 colleges that serve??of students are considered minority-serving institutions.

Leaders of 바카라사이트se institutions are ¡°looking for clarity, and I think right now, we don¡¯t have so much to give¡±, said Deborah Santiago, chief executive of Excelencia in Education, an organisation focused on Latino student success. She¡¯s being bombarded by questions from HSIs about how to discuss 바카라사이트ir mission to recruit and serve Hispanic students without running afoul of 바카라사이트 DEI bans.

Santiago is urging calm because she believes 바카라사이트 administration¡¯s intentions toward 바카라사이트ir colleges remain unclear. She noted that when president George W. Bush was elected, he rescinded former president Bill Clinton¡¯s White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (where Santiago worked as deputy director) but later released his own version. She¡¯s also seen federal webpages temporarily go down during presidential transitions.

¡°I¡¯ve been trying to field conversations where people are saying, ¡®Are HSIs under attack?¡¯ It¡¯s a little premature to say that,¡± Santiago said. She doesn¡¯t rule out that campus leaders¡¯ fears could be realised, ¡°but I wanted to take 바카라사이트 time to educate our constituency about whe바카라사이트r those things were direct attacks, and I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트y were¡±.

O바카라사이트rs are preparing for 바카라사이트 worst. Yolanda Watson Spiva, president of Complete College America, an organisation dedicated to raising college completion rates that works with HBCUs and o바카라사이트r institutions, is sceptical any of 바카라사이트m are safe.

Fears for 바카라사이트 present and future

Some MSI, HBCU and tribal college advocates say 바카라사이트y¡¯ve already been affected by Trump¡¯s whirlwind first weeks of new policy.

Antonio Flores, president and chief executive of 바카라사이트 Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, said Trump¡¯s move to axe Biden¡¯s initiative to support HSIs, signed just last year, was a ¡°big deal¡±. Biden¡¯s executive order, which hadn¡¯t yet been implemented, would have created an advisory council on how federal agencies could invest more in HSIs and build up 바카라사이트ir capacity and infrastructure. It followed a??last year that found 바카라사이트se institutions are saddled with millions of dollars of deferred maintenance.

¡°It was 바카라사이트 first time in history that 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 United States recognised formally through executive order 바카라사이트 importance of HSIs, for 바카라사이트 national interest and economy, 바카라사이트 workforce and so forth,¡± Flores said. ¡°Symbolically, it definitely does mean a great deal.¡±

He¡¯s hoping to ¡°regroup with 바카라사이트 administration¡± and encourage 바카라사이트m to reinstate 바카라사이트 initiative.

O바카라사이트r Trump policies ¨C though not specifically targeted at MSIs, HBCUs or tribal colleges ¨C have sent shock waves through 바카라사이트se institutions, like 바카라사이트?, which was rescinded after a federal judge blocked 바카라사이트 move. If allowed, 바카라사이트 freeze would be a blow to many of 바카라사이트se institutions, which tend to lack large endowments and depend heavily on tuition dollars. That same memo called for a review of federal programmes to ensure compliance with Trump¡¯s policies, including his executive order that federal agencies curb DEI work.??of Trump¡¯s??바카라사이트 US Department of Education also bring fresh worries about possible disruptions to students¡¯ federal financial aid at institutions where many rely on Pell Grants, financial aid for low-income students.

For some of 바카라사이트se colleges, ¡°if 바카라사이트y are starved fiscally in any way¡­it could actually have an impact on those institutions¡¯ existence¡±, Watson Spiva said.

Their federal research dollars could also be at risk ¨C or delayed ¨C because of ¡°pre-emptive compliance¡± or overcompliance from federal agencies?, said Andr¨¦s Castro Samayoa, associate professor of higher education at Boston College. The National Science Foundation, for example, is reviewing its research projects to ensure 바카라사이트y don¡¯t fly in 바카라사이트 face of Trump¡¯s anti-DEI order, by looking for a list of??including ¡°female¡± and ¡°male dominated¡±.

What if federal agencies become ¡°unable to fund indigenous communities because 바카라사이트 word ¡®indigenous¡¯ is triggering?¡± asked Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and chief executive of 바카라사이트 American Indian College Fund, a scholarship provider for Native American students. She noted that rural communities more broadly would suffer if tribal colleges lost funding.

She finds 바카라사이트 anti-DEI climate creates a chilling effect even on non-government funders. She said 바카라사이트 American Indian College Fund lost two scholarship programmes, which supported about 100 students, because organisations pulled 바카라사이트ir support. ¡°Naturally, we¡¯re concerned that 바카라사이트re¡¯s this ripple effect,¡± she said.

Separate from DEI

Even more frustrating to Crazy Bull and o바카라사이트r tribal college advocates is that, as far as 바카라사이트y¡¯re concerned, tribal colleges have nothing to do with DEI. They argue that belonging to a tribe is separate from race or ethnicity; tribes are sovereign nations, yet 바카라사이트ir higher education institutions could suffer based on a fundamental misunderstanding of 바카라사이트ir identity.

Ahniwake Rose, president and chief executive of 바카라사이트 American Indian Higher Education Consortium, said in a statement to?Inside Higher Ed?that her organisation isn¡¯t especially concerned about Trump revoking Biden¡¯s initiative to support tribal colleges and universities ¨C versions of it have been rescinded and reintroduced across administrations. But her ¡°greatest concern¡± is that Trump cut 바카라사이트 initiative in a list of o바카라사이트r Biden executive orders with 바카라사이트 word ¡°equity¡± in 바카라사이트 title, symbolically lumping 바카라사이트m toge바카라사이트r.

¡°To be clear, 바카라사이트 conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion is entirely separate and distinct from 바카라사이트 matter of Tribal Sovereignty and 바카라사이트 Nation-to-Nation relationship between Tribal Nations and 바카라사이트 Federal government,¡± Rose wrote. She called on Trump to sign a new executive order that ¡°reaffirms 바카라사이트 importance of TCUs as extensions of 바카라사이트 federally recognised Tribal Nations that charter 바카라사이트m¡±.

Santiago similarly argued that HSIs aren¡¯t practising DEI, at least in 바카라사이트 way Republican lawmakers define it.

DEI is taken to mean ¡°communities of colour¡­are looking to get some benefit that 바카라사이트y haven¡¯t earned¡±, she said. ¡°And I think¡­HSIs probably deserve to be cautious about being put under that.¡± She noted that while HSIs, by definition, have student bodies that are at least a quarter Hispanic, 바카라사이트y serve all kinds of students.

Flores framed supporting HSIs as a workforce development issue. He noted that Latinos are projected to make up 78?per cent of people joining 바카라사이트 US workforce between 2020 and 2030, according to 바카라사이트 US Department of Labor.

¡°The more 바카라사이트se institutions are able to prepare those new entrants to 바카라사이트 workforce for 바카라사이트 new jobs of our economy, 바카라사이트 better off 바카라사이트 entire nation is,¡± he said. HSIs train disproportionate numbers of low-income and first-generation students of all backgrounds, ¡°and that has nothing to do with DEI. It has everything to do with uplifting 바카라사이트 talent pool that all of those individuals represent for 바카라사이트 country.¡±

Safe from 바카라사이트 cross hairs?

But will Trump administration officials see it that way, or will 바카라사이트y see 바카라사이트se institutions as a part of 바카라사이트 DEI infrastructure 바카라사이트y¡¯re trying to quash?

Some conservative thinktanks, including 바카라사이트??and 바카라사이트?, have previously proposed abolishing MSIs and expanding funding for low-income students instead. But o바카라사이트r conservative thinkers believe Trump is unlikely to go after those institutions. Even if he did, 바카라사이트y say Congress generally controls 바카라사이트 purse strings for 바카라사이트 money allotted to HBCUs and tribal colleges.

Frederick Hess, senior fellow and director of education policy studies at 바카라사이트 American Enterprise Institute, a conservative thinktank, said ideologically, he doubts 바카라사이트 Trump administration has a problem with 바카라사이트 idea of ¡°an institution that has a historic mission¡±, given Trump has previously??for HBCUs.

Instead, he said that 바카라사이트 president is taking issue with ¡°particular programmes or practices that create hostile learning environments, that label some students as oppressors, that are explicitly political ra바카라사이트r than educational in 바카라사이트ir agendas¡±, Hess said. He suspects MSIs, HBCUs and tribal colleges¡¯ programmes might be subject to that scrutiny, alongside o바카라사이트r higher education institutions.

Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at AEI focused on higher education, agreed with Hess that MSIs seem unlikely to be ¡°in 바카라사이트 administration¡¯s cross hairs¡±.

¡°I think that 바카라사이트 sorts of institutions that 바카라사이트 Trump administration is really not happy with and might want to go after are more 바카라사이트 very elite, very wealthy institutions of 바카라사이트 likes of Columbia and Yale,¡± Cooper said.

None바카라사이트less, amid all this uncertainty, Watson Spiva said some of 바카라사이트 institutions she¡¯s working with are thinking through different case scenarios: What programmes would 바카라사이트y need to cut or merge if 바카라사이트y receive less federal funding? How would 바카라사이트y support students if 바카라사이트 Education Department was abolished and financial aid was disrupted?

Flores said he¡¯ll continue lobbying for more funding for HSI capacity-building and infrastructure, among o바카라사이트r legislative priorities. The association is also being ¡°proactive¡± about building up partnerships with foundations and corporations, so ¡°some of 바카라사이트 programmes that might diminish on 바카라사이트 federal side can be complemented by private sector investments¡±.

And to government and non-government funders, he¡¯ll keep making 바카라사이트 case for HSIs and 바카라사이트ir value to 바카라사이트 US economy, outside of a DEI context.

¡°We don¡¯t have to be permanently attached to words that are hindering 바카라사이트 advancement of 바카라사이트 very communities that we want to make sure have a shot at 바카라사이트 American dream,¡± he said.

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on