Trump wants to kill diversity efforts in higher ed. Will Central NY’s big schools give in?
(Syracuse Post-Standard | Feb. 24, 2025) A week before Donald Trump was sworn in as president, Syracuse University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion webpage mentioned the word “diversity” 13 times.
A mission statement at the top of the page read: “The Office of Diversity and Inclusion advances diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) at Syracuse University. We envision a campus where everyone feels welcomed and valued.”
Now, the page has been mostly scrubbed of references to diversity. A picture of a pride flag was removed. An entire page about diversity at SU was deleted. The mission statement changed to get rid of that touchy d-word.
The website changes came as the Trump administration moves to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, especially in education.
While the federal government can’t force a college to change its values, it can threaten the money schools and colleges rely on to fund research, provide financial aid and offer support programs for students and faculty. At SU, that’s millions and millions of dollars …
… Several states have already passed laws prohibiting diversity-related offices, staff and hiring practices. In response, colleges have fired employees, redirected funding and shut down hundreds of programs.
Friday’s letter, written by Craig Trainor, the U.S. Education Department’s acting assistant secretary of civil rights, broadens the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which banned colleges from considering race in deciding whether to admit students.
“People are afraid. School districts are afraid. Universities are afraid.”
According to the letter, that ruling should apply to all activities on campus, not just admissions.
“These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia,” it says.
The policies signify the ways that the Trump administration wants to change the goal of civil rights efforts, said George Theoharis, a professor at SU’s College of Education.
The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights is responsible for investigating complaints that school districts, colleges or other educational institutions are discriminating against students based on their race, gender, disability, age or national origin.
Previously, that meant supporting programs for students from marginalized groups and dismantling years of discrimination, Theoharis said. Now the office is trying to eliminate those programs by saying that they’re illegal, he said …
… The effects of the letter will also depend on how the federal government enforces it, Theoharis said. The Education Department could call out a major school or college for its practices, he said. Even if the school proves it didn’t violate the guidance, it could cause others to eliminate programs for fear they could get in trouble too.
“People are afraid. School districts are afraid. Universities are afraid,” Theoharis said. “They want to continue with their daily work, not have to fight hundreds of battles.”
The letter is one of the many ways Trump is attempting to dismantle education, Theoharis added. The letter targets much of what colleges and schools do regularly, he said, such as teaching about racial segregation.
“In some ways it is an attack on fundamental education in this country,” Theoharis said. “It is the federal government saying, ‘we are going to flip civil rights on its head and we are going to police you for it'” …
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