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Education Dive
3 colleges pause diversity efforts over Trump executive order
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Oct. 9 2020
UPDATE: Oct. 9, 2020: The U.S. Department of Labor released guidance on
the executive order, defining "race or sex stereotyping" and "race or
sex scapegoating," both concepts the directive prohibits. The
department also noted that implicit bias training is banned if it
teaches that any individual, by virtue of their race, sex or national
origin, is oppressive or prejudical, consciously or not.
The American Council on Education wrote to the president this week
urging him to rescind the order, arguing it "is creating concern,
confusion, and uncertainty for federal contractors and grant recipients
across the country."
Dive Brief:
At least three colleges have paused diversity efforts because of the
White House's executive order barring training it regards as "divisive"
in federally supported programs.
The directive, released in September, forbids federal grantees from
teaching certain ideologies, such as that the country is inherently
racist or sexist.
The institutional prohibitions suggest that postsecondary leaders'
fears the order would weaken inclusivity initiatives and campus free
speech were well-founded.
Dive Insight:
President Donald Trump earned immediate backlash from campus officials
and higher education pundits after he issued the order, which applies
to public and private schools.
They blasted the edict for its ambiguity and its potential to halt
diversity programs, which have long had a place in the postsecondary
world. Many colleges said they would evaluate their programs in light
of the order but stressed they would hold firm to diversity principles.
Only recently have some campuses started suspending activities.
The University of Iowa is recommending a two-week pause on such efforts
— including employee harassment and discrimination training and
workshops that describe race or sex sterotyping. Liz Tovar, interim
associate vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, said in a
statement the institution was worried about penalties the order might
impose but stressed that "diversity, equity, and inclusion remain as
core values."
Similarly, Texas State University President Denise Trauth told faculty
and staff members recently the school would temporarily cease employee
diversity training so as not to jeopardize students' federal financial
aid and instructor grants. And John A. Logan College, in Illinois,
canceled diversity-related activities, including a talk planned in
conjunction with National Hispanic Heritage Month, according to media
reports.
Initially, Trump restricted such training only for federal employees.
At the time, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher
Education encouraged institutions to maintain their equity standards.
The association's president, Paulette Granberry Russell, said "it's
understandable" colleges would be cautious given the potential
consequences. However, she urged them "not to back away from their
commitment to creating welcoming, supportive, inclusive campuses,"
which she said encompasses educational initiatives.
Colleges now must interpret the order's "vague," terms, Granberry
Russell said. It references a ban on "race or sex stereotyping," for
instance, though she argued it does not concretly define that idea. She
said she expects further guidance from the executive branch.
The order's scope has come under fire. Although it makes an exception
for academic debate of the targeted concepts, colleges believe the
directive would still apply to them.
Granberry Russell said it's difficult to predict whether more institutions will hold back on training.
"If inequities persist, how do we correct them, if we can't talk about them?" she said.
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