Linette Garcia | Staff Writer
President Donald Trump has always prioritized addressing DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) in his 2024 campaign. So, it’s no surprise that on the first day in office he issued sweeping orders to revoke structures that historically benefitted people of all races, ethnicities and genders.
In his inaugural speech on Jan. 20, Trump announced an executive order to dismantle DEI programs, which affected 2.4 million people in the federal workplace.
As per the State of Florida’s legislation issued by the Florida Board of Governors, FIU cut its DEI programs, including removing courses that align with “woke” ideology. However, FIU promises to remain committed to cultivating an environment of accessibility and equal opportunity.
Let us hope they honor their commitment now with Trump in office.
Trump wrote in the new executive order on ending DEI programs, “Institutions of higher education have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion.’”
All facets of DEI initiatives will be affected. Students working in DEI-related roles may have their positions eradicated or realigned with Trump’s interpretation.
His word choice of calling DEI programs “dangerous” is out of touch. Policies that aim to help marginalized students receive fair opportunities are not “demeaning” — everybody deserves an equal chance for employment or education.
This order will also instruct federal agencies to examine higher education institutions to determine if they have violated federal civil rights laws due to their DEI programs, practices and policies.
We see this already taking effect as the UFF-FIU held an event discussing university reviews of anti-Semitism. The faculty believes that the people who started these reviews are not genuinely concerned about anti-Semitic material but are looking to gain a political advantage.
The day after, on Jan. 21, Trump issued more drastic directives that reversed landmark executive orders, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Affirmative Act of 1965 which prevented discrimination in government employment and bolstered racial equality.
This problematic change will hinder companies from going above and beyond in promoting workplace diversity — it resembles a glimpse into a troubling aspect of the United States history.
Although this revocation does not change current prohibitions on employment discrimination, federal contractors may no longer be obligated to engage in affirmative action. This could leave vulnerable students seeking employment and those already employed to bear the brunt of this devastating impact.
It’s a no-brainer that diversity, equity and inclusion should always be implemented in workplaces and academia, alongside the individual’s merit. Many of us strongly support the principles of DEI and its philosophy of bringing students together to learn in a diverse environment.
Although it is unclear what precise effects Trump’s attacks on DEI at colleges will have at a larger scale, we’ll have our answers in the upcoming weeks.
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The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect the perspectives of contributing writers and/or university community members.
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