One Week Left for SLU DEI
On Feb. 14, the United States Department of Education (ED) released a letter regarding the end of race-based programs in schools. All educational institutions receiving federal funding were sent a “Dear Colleague” letter, “notifying them that they must cease using race preferences and stereotypes as a factor in their admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline and beyond,” according to the ED website.
This order means that no educational institution should consider race when distributing funds or benefits in any scenario of student and campus life.
Institutions that do not eliminate their diversity initiatives risk losing all federal funding, with a deadline set for 14 days after the date of the letter’s issuance. As of publishing this article, that deadline is now at seven days.
The letter was penned by Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the ED. In accordance to Trainor’s letter, “All educational institutions are advised to: (1) ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law; (2) cease all efforts to circumvent prohibitions on the use of race by relying on proxies or other indirect means to accomplish such ends; and (3) cease all reliance on third-party contractors, clearinghouses or aggregators that are being used by institutions in an effort to circumvent prohibited uses of race.”
The letter also comes after President Donald Trump’s executive order banning all diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Both the letter and the order call upon the 2023 Supreme Court ruling, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which declares “the use of race-conscious admissions practices at colleges and universities” unlawful, as described by the New York Times. The decision went beyond admissions, restricting any institution from using race-based policies for staffing decisions and offering aid to specific groups of students.
As for the St. Lawrence University community, this order will have several effects. Any organizations focused on DEI initiatives will potentially lose school support and funding after the 14-day deadline. This may include certain student-run clubs, theme houses, and school-supported events. The university has not yet released an official statement about the “Dear Colleague” letter.
During Wednesday night’s Thelomathesian Society meeting, Dean of Student Life Jon Duraj briefly mentioned that SLU will continue to abide by the status quo and not make any urgent changes to campus organizations or programs based on current policies by the ED.
This is a developing story with new events happening daily. Updates will follow in the coming weeks.