University of Michigan shutters all of its DEI offices as Trump continues to exert influence over higher ed
The University of Michigan is closing its diversity, equity and inclusion offices amid President Donald Trump 's tirade against the programs.
The public university in Ann Arbor is closing its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion, according to a Thursday statement. The university attributed the changes to 'recent federal executive orders.'
Trump issued an executive order shortly after taking office seeking to end DEI programs, including those at higher education institutions. His administration also launched investigations into dozens of universities this month, alleging they violated civil rights laws with race-based scholarships and programs.
'These decisions have not been made lightly,' the university's statement reads. 'We recognize the changes are significant and will be challenging for many of us, especially those whose lives and careers have been enriched by and dedicated to programs that are now pivoting.'
The university will now be investing more money in financial aid, scholarships and mental health support.
The school was once a flagship for DEI programs and was considered a model for other schools nationwide. The University of Michigan poured more than $250 million into their DEI program since it started a decade ago, The New York Times reports.
The University of Michigan isn't the first school to cave to Trump's efforts to dismantle DEI programs — and it likely won't be the last.
Case Western Reserve University, a private school in Cleveland, shuttered its DEI office on Wednesday. University President Eric Kaler cited Trump's executive orders in his announcement, local outlet Signal Cleveland reports.
'We have watched the evolution of the legal challenges to these executive orders, and, as we have seen among some of our peers already, it is clear we must be in compliance with them to receive the federal funding that is critical to our present and future,' Kaler said.
Another school making changes to its DEI programs includes the University of Colorado, which took down its DEI webpage and posted a new one for an 'Office of Collaboration.'
The University of Akron similarly announced it would no longer host a long-standing 'Rethinking Race' forum, citing federal and state guidance, according to The New York Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Trump allies hit out as media call LA riots ‘an immigration protest'
The US media has come under fire from allies of Donald Trump for referring to the violent unrest on the streets of Los Angeles as 'protests'. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the US president had ordered the National Guard to the city to 'quell immigration protests'. Lauren Boebert, a Republican congresswoman, then wrote on X: 'To the media reporting on the situation in Los Angeles. The word you're looking for is 'insurrection'. 'Not protests. Definitely not 'mostly peaceful protests'. Insurrection!' JD Vance, the US vice-president, said 'insurrectionists' were responsible for the violence, adding: 'For the far-Left rioters, some helpful advice: peaceful protest is good. Rioting and obstructing justice is not.' The clashes in LA on Saturday were described as protests by CBS, ABC and CNN. Fox News and The New York Post, which support Mr Trump, referred to them as riots. Pictures taken overnight showed demonstrators launching fireworks towards police lines, as well as cars and shopping trolleys on fire. Fox News published a video showing border officials driving a van being attacked with rocks as they attempted to leave the scene of clashes in Paramount, California. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, responded to the video: 'This is a violent insurrection.' Trouble broke out after immigration raids were carried out across LA throughout the week. As many as 118 arrests linked to immigration were made in LA this week, which Gavin Newsom, the California governor, described as 'cruel'. Mr Trump responded to the violence in Los Angeles on Saturday night by ordering 2,000 National Guard soldiers to LA. The first troops arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning. 'Great job by the National Guard in Los Angeles after two days of violence, clashes and unrest… These Radical Left protests, by instigators and often paid troublemakers, will not be tolerated,' Mr Trump posted on social media early on Sunday. Deploying the National Guard is a provision that is usually enacted by the state governor, and Mr Newsom described the order as 'unnecessary' and 'purposefully inflammatory'. Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, warned that active duty Marines would be 'mobilised' if violence in Los Angeles continued, which Mr Newsom said was 'deranged'. On Saturday, a car was set on fire in the middle of an intersection in LA. Two individuals circled on motorbikes, as one waved a Mexican flag. The LA sheriff's department said it had arrested one person in the Paramount area, where two officers were treated in hospital for injuries. The department also said one car was burnt and that a fire at a shopping mall had been put out. Mr Trump has had a fractious relationship with the media since he first ran for office. On Sunday, ABC News suspended its veteran reporter, Terry Moran, after he posted tweets describing the president and his top adviser, Stephen Miller, as 'world-class haters'. Mr Moran interviewed Mr Trump in April to discuss the first 100 days of the president's second term. Commenting on his suspension, ABC said: 'ABC News stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others,' the representative said. 'The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards – as a result, Terry Moran has been suspended pending further evaluation.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Political divide widens as Trump deploys National Guard to Los Angeles
BEDMINSTER, New Jersey, June 8 (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats traded barbs on Sunday after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles amid massive protests against increasing and divisive immigration raids. "Important to remember that Trump isn't trying to heal or keep the peace. He is looking to inflame and divide," Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said in one of the most direct rebukes. "His movement doesn't believe in democracy or protest - and if they get a chance to end the rule of law they will take it." Democratic Senator Cory Booker condemned Trump for deploying troops without California's approval, warning it would only escalate tensions. On NBC's "Meet the Press" he accused Trump of hypocrisy, and noted the president's inaction on January 6, 2021 when thousands of his supporters raided the U.S. Capitol and his subsequent pardons for those arrested. Footage showed at least a half dozen military-style vehicles and riot shields on Sunday at the federal building in Los Angeles with federal law enforcement firing gas canisters to disperse demonstrators protesting against the ICE crackdown. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Trump sparred over the protests, with Newsom condemning the federal response as an overreach, saying Trump wants "a spectacle," while the president accused Newsom of failing to maintain order. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday defended Trump's decision and said he had no concern about the National Guard deployment, adding, "One of our core principles is maintaining peace through strength. We do that in foreign affairs and domestic affairs as well. I don't think that's heavy handed." Republican Senator James Lankford said Trump is trying to de-escalate tensions, pointing to scenes of protesters throwing objects at law enforcement. He recalled similar unrest in 2020 in Seattle and Portland, where National Guard backed local law enforcement amid racial justice protests. The protests against the raids have become the latest focal point in a national debate over immigration, protest rights, and the use of federal force in domestic affairs. It also has fueled discussion on the boundaries of presidential power and the public's right to dissent.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
National guard deploys in downtown LA amid eerie calm after two days of unrest
On a foggy, unseasonably cold morning in Los Angeles, the national guardsmen suddenly pressed into service by Donald Trump to quell what he called a 'rebellion' against his government were nothing if not ready for their close-up. Outside a federal complex in downtown Los Angeles that includes a courthouse, a veterans' medical centre, and a jail, two dozen guardsmen in camouflage uniforms were arrayed in front of their military vehicles with semi-automatic weapons slung over their shoulders for the benefit of television and news photographers clustered on the sidewalk. They stood with the visors of their helmets up so the reporters could see their faces. Most wore shades, despite the gloomy weather, giving them the eerie appearance of extras from a Hollywood action movie more than shock troops for the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. After two days of unrest in response to heavy-handed raids by Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) in downtown Los Angeles and in the heavily Latino suburb of Paramount, the day started off in an atmosphere of uneasy, almost surreal calm. The skyscrapers and government offices of downtown Los Angeles were ringed by vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies – Los Angeles police and parking enforcement, county sheriffs, highway patrol and private security guards. Most, though, were deployed for an entirely different event – a festival and two-mile walk organized by the non-profit group the March of Dimes to raise money for maternal and infant health. The streets around Grand Park, across from City Hall, were closed to traffic, but the police seemed less interested in sniffing out anti-Ice protesters than they were in posing for pictures next to a bubble machine with March of Dimes volunteers dressed as Darth Vader and other Star Wars characters. 'We had the LAPD's community engagement Hummer come by earlier and they told us we had nothing to worry about,' event organizer Tanya Adolph said. 'They said they'd pull us if there was any risk to our safety. Our numbers are down markedly, I won't hide that, but we've still managed to raise $300,000.' Local activists have called for demonstrations against the immigration crackdown; one demonstration set for Boyle Heights east of downtown and the other outside City Hall. Many activists, though, were worried about continuing Ice raids, particularly in working-class, predominantly Latino parts of the LA area like Paramount – and worried, too, that any national guard presence heightened the risk of violence. Governor Gavin Newsom's office reported on Sunday that about 300 of the promised 2,000 national guardsmen had deployed in the LA area. In addition to the small presence downtown, a group of them was reported to have driven through Paramount, scene of clashes between protesters and local police outside a Home Depot on Saturday. Trump congratulated the national guardsmen on a 'great job' after what he called 'two days of violence, clashes and unrest' but, as several California political leaders pointed out, the national guard had not yet deployed when city police and sheriff's deputies used tear gas and flash-bang grenades to clear the streets. Both Ice and local activists estimated that about 45 people were arrested on Friday and Saturday, and several were reported to have been injured in confrontations with the police. Nick Stern, a news photographer, said he was shot in the leg by a less-lethal police round and was in hospital awaiting surgery. David Huerta, a prominent union leader with the Service Employees International Union, was also treated in hospital before being transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center, the federal lockup in downtown LA. One of many slogans spray-painted on the walls of the federal complex, within eyeshot of the national guardsman and the news crews, read: 'Free Huerta.' Others, daubed liberally on the walls of the complex around an entire city block, expressed rage against Ice and the Los Angeles police in equal measure. 'Fuck ICE. Kill all cops!' one graffiti message said. 'LAPD can suck it,' read another. Elsewhere in downtown Los Angeles, little seemed out of the ordinary. Homeless people slept undisturbed on a small patch of lawn on the south side of City Hall. Traffic moved unhindered past the county criminal court building and the main entrance to City Hall on Spring Street. Alejandro Ames, a Mexican American protester, who had traveled up from San Diego sat at a folding table on the west side of City Hall with a hand-scrawled sign that read: 'Republic against ICE and the police'. Ames said he was a Republican and hoped this would give extra credence to his plea for restraint by the federal authorities. 'I don't want 'em to go crazy,' he said. 'I want 'em to go home.'
