On any given day during the school year, Eastern Oregon University鈥檚 Center for Strategic Equity Initiatives could be assisting students in a variety of ways.
The center鈥檚 staff may be helping an international student maintain their visa status. They could be explaining how federal financial aid works to a young person from a low-income background. Or they could be connecting students in unstable housing situations to rental assistance resources.
鈥淣o one is excluded from any of the work that we鈥檙e doing,鈥� Bennie Moses-Mesubed, Eastern鈥檚 associate vice president of strategic equity initiatives, said.
The department Moses-Mesubed leads is designed to make sure students attending the small and rural public university located in La Grande have the tools they need to be successful in their college career.
鈥淲e all come with unique differences, but how we鈥檝e navigated systems and how we鈥檝e been able to succeed in different systems has not always been equitable,鈥� Moses-Mesubed said. 鈥淥ur work is really about identifying opportunity gaps and ensuring students can be successful in their college journeys.鈥�
But across the nation, student support initiatives that consider cultural, economic and social differences among students, like Eastern鈥檚, are under pressure.
The Trump administration has alleged that these programs unlawfully discriminate against some students and it鈥檚 threatened to pull federal funding from schools that continue to run them. Some universities across the nation have responded to the federal pressures by shutting down their diversity offices and eliminating equity-related groups.
That鈥檚 not the case in Oregon.
Higher education institutions in the Beaver State are largely staying the course amid federal directives to quash inclusivity efforts. Administrators and faculty leading diversity, equity and inclusion programs that OPB spoke to believe they have been following the law all along.
鈥淲e do not use race as a criterion for determining access and support because our commitment is to every single student,鈥� Moses-Mesubed said. 鈥淲hen we fail to support our students, it not only affects their success but also impacts our institutional sustainability and success.鈥�
Federal DEI directives cause confusion among universities
within higher education was among the first executive actions signed by President Donald Trump in his first week in office.
The order states that DEI-related policies and practices put in place by institutions could violate civil rights laws and it directed the U.S. Department of Education to issue guidance on how colleges should comply.
What has materialized, first through from the Education Department鈥檚 Office for Civil Rights and then a sent two weeks later, has left many in higher education with whiplash.
鈥淭he Dear Colleague letter told colleges and universities to not talk about, consider, use, or collect data about race 鈥� basically operate in an entirely race-blind fashion, or else we鈥檙e coming after you,鈥� Willamette University constitutional law professor Norman Williams said. 鈥淎nd then the FAQ comes out and walks back almost all of that.鈥�
Both documents cite to reverse race-conscious affirmative action in admissions processes as its legal basis. The Dear Colleague letter had a much more broad interpretation of the ruling while the FAQ appears to more closely follow the historical reading of federal civil rights law.
This confusion only adds to the uncertainty for higher education leaders.
鈥淭he challenge for lawyers advising university administrators is how to deal with a document that鈥檚 not itself law, but is informing how the Department of Education may deal with universities in the upcoming weeks and months,鈥� Williams said.
filed by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education is currently challenging Trump鈥檚 executive order, which resulted in the Education Department鈥檚 guidance. Last month a federal judge issued barring some parts of the order, including any DEI-related enforcement actions against universities with endowments of $1 billion or more.
Even though most higher education diversity and equity initiatives may be lawful, Williams said the federal actions could still have a chilling effect at universities.
鈥淓xecutive overreach may in fact be illegal and may be challenged in court, but that doesn鈥檛 unring the bell,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淯niversities have to be thinking about that. Do we want to be the university that loses its federal funding by ignoring it?鈥�Willamette University constitutional law professor Norman Williams
Last Friday, the Education Department appeared to make its first move against institutions it believes are violating the law. The department鈥檚 civil rights office launched an investigation into 45 universities, alleging their partnership with a nonprofit that helps underrepresented students obtain doctoral degrees excluded some students based on race. was named as one of the universities under investigation.
Oregon universities and colleges make few to no changes
Several colleges and universities across the nation are taking action to comply with the federal directives. Some have from university websites, dedicated to DEI entirely and
On the other hand, higher education institutions in Oregon are largely standing by their established diversity offices and programs.
Since the Trump administration took office, all of the state鈥檚 seven public universities and a majority of community colleges and private colleges have maintained their public-facing diversity and equity websites. A notable exception is Corban University 鈥� a private, Christian university in Salem. Corban appears to have taken down a web page that included a 鈥�,鈥� though its web site still maintains a non-discrimination statement.
DEI currently has a strong base in Oregon. But not everyone in the state is a supporter, dating back to before the Trump administration took over in January.
State legislation that would have prohibited Oregon鈥檚 public schools, including universities and colleges, from implementing diversity and equity initiatives was introduced last year. , sponsored by Rep. Boomer Wright, R-Coos Bay, failed.
At Portland State University, administrators created internal workgroups to address the many federal directives that appear aimed at hobbling higher education institutions. At a board of trustees meeting last month, Portland State President Ann Cudd said equity is the university鈥檚 North Star.
鈥淧SU exists to close equity gaps by making the transformative power of higher education available to anyone who wants to pursue a college degree,鈥� Cudd said at the Feb. 18 board of trustees meeting.
Oregon State University, as well as other institutions in the state, believe their programs and curriculum are already compliant with both state and federal civil rights laws and no changes are necessary. sent to the Oregon State campus community on Feb. 17, OSU Vice President of University Relations Rob Odom said OSU does not make admissions, hiring, housing or other related decisions based on race, color or national origin.
鈥淨uite simply, all are welcome at Oregon State University,鈥� Odom wrote in the letter. 鈥淧art of that welcome means meeting communities and students where they are, honoring their unique perspectives, their challenges and their lived experiences.鈥�
on the Education Department鈥檚 Dear Colleague letter from Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield鈥檚 office and the state鈥檚 share this stance. Both memos reinforce that Oregon鈥檚 higher education institutions can continue to foster diverse and inclusive campuses while still complying with state and federal laws.
But even with reassurance from the state, the discourse around DEI on campus is still touch and go. Universities and colleges don鈥檛 want to draw unwanted attention from the federal government.
At Clatsop Community College in Astoria, there are discussions about rebranding the college鈥檚 DEI council or getting rid of it altogether. The college already eliminated a full-time DEI director position last year due to budget constraints.
For now, Clatsop faculty member Fernando Rojas-Galvan is helping lead the college鈥檚 DEI council through the uncertainty caused by the Trump administration.
鈥淭his is causing us to refocus and to remember why we鈥檙e here,鈥� said Rojas-Galvan, who has been involved with the college鈥檚 diversity efforts for seven years. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to serve every one of our students that shows up on our campus.鈥�