President Trump’s push to end Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives has impacted businesses, public schools, and government agencies — now the effort is making its way to college campuses.
In an executive order signed the day after assuming office for the second time, Trump ordered the end of “illegal” DEI policies and programs. The order 14190 “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity” states:
“Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.”
In response to the order, the University of North Carolina System is directing chancellors to review required courses for college students. On Feb. 10, NC State University’s provost’s office notified all students, staff, and faculty via email that the university is suspending the US DEI requirement in accordance with a system-wide memo sent to chancellors at all 17 UNC institutions.
“Effective immediately, all general education requirements and major-specific requirements mandating completion of course credits related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, or any other topic identified in Section VII of the Equality Policy are suspended,” the UNC system memo reads.
what it means for NC State students
The US DEI course requirement only existed for two semesters at NC State and applied to students who matriculated after Fall 2023. Students who enrolled before Fall 2023 were just required to complete a course within the categories of GEP Additional Breadth and US Diversity, which includes a wider array of courses, including “Hip Hop Dance,” “the History of Capitalism,” and “Southern Literature.” That category requirement will continue moving forward.
Courses in the US DEI category, such as “Black Feminist Theory” and “Sexuality in US History,” often fulfilled multiple GEP requirements and will also continue to be offered, even as the DEI category requirement is discontinued.
“The implementation of the US DEI category, beyond the existing US Diversity category, was mostly for political purposes, not for the further advancement of education,” said Dr. Steven Greene, professor of political science at NC State.
Dr. Andy Taylor, professor of political science at NC State, called the “US DEI” category “duplicative,” as a “US Diversity” course was already required for graduation.
“I didn’t even know there was a difference between the two,” said Taylor. “Getting rid of it is a good thing, at the very least, because I am not a fan of duplication.”
According to the university’s course catalog, the classes are meant to provide students with exposure to diverse identities, defined as “religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, socioeconomic status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age identities.”
“The study of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the United States provides students the opportunity to consider questions of difference and culture, identity and community, privilege and oppression, and power and responsibility in our nation, and to gain an understanding of how these issues affect both individuals and communities,” the catalog states.
Taylor points out that the removal of the US DEI category does not end access to such classes if a student wants to take them.
“There are plenty of opportunities for students at NC State to take courses that touch on this kind of subject matter, whether it relates to gender or race in American public life, today or in our historical past,” said Taylor. “It seems that this curriculum change will not prevent students from learning about these things.”
trump moves to end dei on campus
In his recent address to a joint session of Congress, President Trump announced plans to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies from schools receiving federal funding. The initiative is described by the administration as a move to “restore merit-based opportunity,” and has sparked both support and criticism.
In a Feb. 14 “Dear colleague” letter from the acting secretary of the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, the administration set a two-week deadline for schools and universities to eliminate DEI initiatives or risk losing federal funding.
“The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that
has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions,” wrote Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for Civil Rights. “The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent. All students are entitled to a school environment free from discrimination. The Department is committed to ensuring those principles are a reality.”
The NC State Provost’s office is working on compliance with the order.
Greene says this is “not the way to do things.”
“To have the university system lawyer engage in a tendentious reading of an executive order, and immediately change the curriculum as a response, is questionable,” said Greene.
“This executive order alone is not the procedure or the argument to make in support of removing this category,” he continued.
It is unclear whether the push to remove DEI will affect other organizations on college campuses, like single-sex Greek organizations, religious or race-affiliated groups, or offices that enforce equal opportunity or affirmative action.
“These groups exist for the purposes of inclusion, but we don’t know if they exist for the purposes of DEI,” said Greene.
NC State’s Office of Equal Opportunity, which was renamed in 2024 from the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, said they are awaiting further guidance from federal and state agencies.