Last Monday, President Trump signed an executive order to end federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, sparking concerns about the future of DEI initiatives at institutions of higher education.
The implementation and impacts of this executive order at Brown and other universities remain to be seen.
“Understanding their ultimate impact on Brown is an ongoing process which requires input from several members of leadership,” Interim Vice President for University Equity and Diversity Patricia Poitevien wrote in an email to The Herald. Poitevien added that the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity is “meeting regularly to assess policy changes.”
Following a recent flood of orders from the White House, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and Provost Francis Doyle released a statement addressing various impacts on the University, including DEI. Trump has not signed an executive order specifically directed at DEI in higher education but has cut Biden-era White House programs that aimed to further educational equity for minority students.
The order also instructs the head of each executive agency to include a term in any grant award that its recipient “does not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.”
“We always follow the law,” Paxson and Doyle said in the statement. “But we are also prepared to exercise our legal right to advocate against laws, regulations or other actions that compromise Brown’s mission.”
Several universities have been altering their programming or policies in response to the order. Last week, Rutgers University canceled a DEI conference following Trump’s executive orders.
“It is difficult to make a prediction here, in part because higher education is a pretty diverse sector,” said Jonathan Glater, a law professor at University of California at Berkeley School of Law with experience in higher education law research.
He said that “differently situated colleges and universities” will respond with varying degrees of change to existing policies.
“The University remains committed to cultivating a community that fosters diversity of thought, experiences and perspectives as essential to excellence in teaching and research and complying with the law,” Poitevien wrote.
Doyle is also leading a working group assessing the orders. The team includes members of the Brown community in Government Relations, the Division of Research, Office of General Counsel and Finance and Administration, according to the statement.
“The University should know much more in the coming weeks and months as federal guidance related to the orders becomes available,” Paxson and Doyle’s statement read.
Cate Latimer is a university news editor covering faculty, University Hall and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
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Sophia Wotman is a University news editor covering activism and affinity & identity. She is a junior from Long Island, New York concentrating in Political Science with a focus on women’s rights. She is a jazz trumpet player, and often performs on campus and around Providence.