In the two weeks following his second inauguration, President Donald Trump has signed a swath of powerfully worded executive orders targeting universities across the nation. His orders have taken aim at nearly all corners of the federal government’s relationship with higher education, ranging from authorizing the Department of Education to punish schools that allow transgender athletes to compete to withholding billions of dollars in federal funding for scientific research.

While some of Trump’s orders have come as a shock to universities for both their scope and lack of specificity, others were overt campaign promises. One order, entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” follows Trump’s continued criticism of affirmative action and diversity initiatives. Signed on Tuesday, Jan. 21, the order took specific aim at the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that universities across the nation have expanded and promoted in recent years.

“Today, roughly 60 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, critical and influential institutions of American society, including…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,’” the order read.

The order also accused these higher education programs of violating federal civil rights laws.

In a campus-wide email sent on Friday, Jan. 31, President Michael Roth ’78 did not speculate about the potential consequences for universities who kept DEI programs in place. Instead, he took aim at detractors of the framework, committing firmly to Wesleyan University’s stated mission of equity and inclusion.

“While powerful forces have demonized a caricature of DEI, we remain steadfast in our efforts to treat everyone in our community fairly while helping them feel they belong,” Roth wrote.

Trump’s order was the culmination of a years-long fight by influential conservative figures and groups against DEI and did not come as a surprise to much of the political establishment. However, despite the assertive language of the executive order, its implications for universities like Wesleyan remain murky.

While the specific actions that Wesleyan may be required to take in regard to its DEI programs as a result of Trump’s executive order remain unclear, The Argus worked through a series of conversations with Wesleyan administrators, students, and student representatives to piece together the potential consequences of the newly empowered administration’s “War on DEI.”

What is DEI?

While the phrase “DEI” has been thrust into the political boxing ring in recent years, gaining admiration and infamy, the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion have long influenced federal guidelines, private sector hiring practices, and the policies of universities.

Proponents of DEI argue that the framework has a storied history rooted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in employment. Since then, the principles behind DEI have guided policies in both the public and private sectors, going far beyond just ensuring racial justice.  

The functioning of DEI changes depending on the environment in which it is being practiced. In hiring, this can involve giving priority to equally qualified candidates who belong to historically marginalized or underrepresented communities. In the private sector and at universities, it can mean establishing an office dedicated to holding the business or university’s policies and language accountable to values of inclusion. According to its website, the Office for Equity and Inclusion at Wesleyan seeks to accomplish both and more.

“We believe an equitable and inclusive education is transformative,” the website reads. “We foster critical conversations and initiatives that promote equity, inclusion, and social justice on campus and beyond…[and] develop and support efforts to recruit, retain and develop a diverse faculty, staff and student body.”

Wesleyan has had an office and a team of administrators dedicated to ensuring inclusive behavior and practices for at least a decade. In 2013, replacing the Office of Diversity and Strategic Partnerships, the Office of Equity and Inclusion was created as Wesleyan students now know it, and Antonio Farias was appointed as the school’s Chief Diversity Officer. After Farias, two more administrators served as the leader of the office. In 2024, after more than a year of vacancy in the position, Willette Burnham-Williams was selected as the new Vice President for Equity and Inclusion.

The Argus spoke with Burnham-Williams about the historical role of DEI, its current functioning at Wesleyan, and what she perceives to be its misrepresentation on the national stage. The first misconception, she argued, is that DEI is only designed to benefit a handful of marginalized individuals.

“[Our] work has always been about creating communities where everyone can feel supported and represented and valued,” Burnham-Williams said. “That has never excluded white men or any other specific population that might have been considered a majority in higher education institutions.”

While proponents of DEI have echoed Burnham-William’s position, its opponents, including Trump, argue that DEI gives an unjust advantage in hiring members of marginalized communities, lowering the overall standards of any organization in which the framework is practiced. The Trump administration has provided little to no evidence to accompany this allegation. Trump himself made headlines when he blamed DEI hiring policies at the Federal Aviation Administration for the in-air collision that occurred over the Potomac River last week, killing 67. No evidence was provided linking DEI initiatives to the crash.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have long been stated values of Wesleyan, and Burnham-Williams emphasized that this never has meant lowering Wesleyan’s standards.

“DEI has never meant hiring, admitting and or receiving individuals who are less competent than the standard that’s always been a part of the university,” she said. “As a matter of fact, it’s just the opposite.”

Implications for Wesleyan

Reactions to the executive order targeting DEI have varied significantly across U.S. universities. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, Feb. 3 in the United States District Court for Maryland, the American Association of University Professors and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), among other plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that his order is unconstitutional.

“By attacking the important work of diversity, equity and inclusion offices at educational institutions, the order seeks to dismantle critical support systems for historically underrepresented students,” NADOHE President Paulette Granberry Russell said in an interview with Inside Higher Education on Jan. 23.

Conversely, some universities have pre-emptively ended some DEI-related efforts without a broad compliance requirement from the federal government.

For instance, on Jan. 23, the Rutgers University Center for Minority Serving Institutions canceled a conference addressing apprenticeship opportunities for students; conference organizers claimed that they had received a “stop work” order from the Department of Labor. At Michigan State University, a Lunar New Year event was canceled, with university administrators blaming Trump’s executive order.

Most universities, including Wesleyan, appear to be waiting for further instructions from the federal government. In his email, Roth emphasized that the University should not overreact to the actions taken thus far by the Trump administration.

“Wesleyan is almost 200 years old and has seen turbulent times before,” Roth wrote on Friday, Jan. 31.

Burnham-Williams appeared to concur with Roth.

“I’ve been around a long time, and I don’t see diversity, equity and inclusion being ended,” she said. “I believe the work that’s been done for over five decades isn’t going to collapse under the four-year leadership of Donald Trump. It’s going to be a very difficult challenge…. But we can’t be defeated by it. We have to look at this as an opportunity to help people understand the benefits and the opportunities [of DEI].”

The Argus heard from Uma Sundaram ’27, who is on the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) as the chair of the Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC). The EIC works closely with University offices that could be affected by Trump’s executive order, including the Office for Equity and Inclusion and the Resource Center. 

“As the Trump administration continues their racist attacks on DEI, it’s vital that Wesleyan stays committed to its policies and practices,” Sundaram wrote. “Everyone deserves to feel safe on Wesleyan’s campus, and that should not change.”

Sundaram emphasized that Trump’s exact policies remained unclear.

“We…don’t know what Trump’s attacks on higher education and DEI will mean for us on campus,” Sundaram wrote. “But the mission of keeping people safe and actively providing resources for all students is something we need to stand by.”

In line with the wait-and-see approach, when asked if they believed it was possible that the University Office for Equity and Inclusion could be forced to shut down, neither Roth nor Burnham-Williams were willing to speculate.

“It’s so unpredictable day to day, we don’t know what to expect,” Burnham-Williams said. “I like the fact that President Roth has said ‘Wesleyan is going to stick to our principles.’ We are going to continue to live by those principles…and we are not going to be distracted by the day-to-day chaos that might cause us to take our eye off of the people that we’re responsible for.”

Nevertheless, Roth emphasized that the University will comply with federal guidelines.

“As I’ve said before, we will follow the law,” Roth said. “We have been reaching out to members of the Wesleyan community that we know are particularly vulnerable and offering them support that stays within the law and helps them navigate this increasingly charged, fearful, and oppressive atmosphere.”

As the Trump administration rolls out the specifics of its policies in the coming weeks, the picture of DEI at the University will likely become clearer. 

Miles Pinsof-Berlowitz can be reached at mpinsofberlo@wesleyan.edu.