March 2, 2025 Story by: Editor
After the Trump administration directed schools to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or risk losing federal funding, the University of Southern California (USC) has taken steps to comply. The university removed the website for its Office of Inclusion and Diversity, merged it with another entity, deleted DEI-related statements at various departments, and even altered faculty titles. Additionally, references to a scholarship for Black and Indigenous students were removed from online platforms.
Faculty and staff at USC, as well as archived sections of the university’s website, suggest these moves are aimed at avoiding federal scrutiny, mirroring similar actions at other institutions nationwide.
Several schools within USC, including the School of Cinematic Arts, the School of Dramatic Arts, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, the Roski School of Art and Design, and the Department of Earth Sciences, have modified or erased references to DEI. These changes include rebranding DEI positions under terms like “community and culture” and removing website content related to diversity.
In a campuswide email on Friday, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrew T. Guzman and Senior Vice President of Human Resources Stacy Giwa stated that the Office of Inclusion and Diversity would be “merged with our Culture Team,” ensuring that its work continues.
Previously, the office’s website emphasized “USC’s long history of access and opportunity” and its commitment to a “diverse and inclusive community.”
National Context
These changes at USC align with broader trends among universities across the country, many of which are responding to a letter from the U.S. Department of Education. The letter warned schools that considering race in “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life” could violate anti-discrimination laws.
This new interpretation of federal enforcement stated that the department would “no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination,” particularly against white and Asian American students. The letter further asserted that the government would “vigorously enforce the law on equal terms” at all federally funded institutions. However, the Department of Education has yet to announce specific investigations or funding cuts.
University responses vary. Colorado State University’s president, citing financial concerns, stated the institution would restructure race-based programs rather than challenge the administration. Similarly, the University of Cincinnati’s president said he had “little choice” but to comply. The University of Alaska’s regents voted to remove DEI from their system, while the University of Iowa will eliminate dorm communities designated for Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ students next year.
In contrast, the president of Wesleyan University in Connecticut has taken a defiant stance, calling the administration “authoritarian.”
“That’s what universities have always done. That’s what corporations have always done. We tend to follow political winds,” he said. However, he also cautioned, “You cannot just play defense without articulating a muscular conception of what you stand for in this space.”
USC’s Response and Faculty Concerns
At USC, changes to DEI programs have drawn internal attention. While many diversity initiatives remain visible on the university’s website, some departments within the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences—the university’s largest division—have recently removed references to DEI.
An email from Andrew Simpson, a professor of linguistics, to Dornsife faculty, which was shared with The Times by three USC employees, indicated concerns over federal oversight.
“… In the light of such very real worries, universities and other institutions dependent on federal funding all over the country are now all removing wording from visible sites that will attract the government AI scrapers looking to identify and route out support for DEI,” Simpson wrote. “This is obviously shocking and incredibly distasteful. However, the alternative, to lose all federal grant support would simply be catastrophic.”
The email clarified that faculty were not being asked to change their teaching content but encouraged them to consider “how you may be able to help in this unpleasant exercise, for the purely pragmatic reason of survival.”
When contacted by The Times, Simpson stated that he had not “mandated any action” and was merely relaying a message from his dean. “The choice of how to proceed in the current situation is entirely individual, to be made freely by each person, and is/was not mandated/ordered by anyone,” he said.
Moh El-Naggar, the interim dean of Dornsife, responded via email, stating, “We’re navigating our response as an academic unit of USC.”
USC did not directly address whether it issued universitywide instructions to alter or remove DEI materials. However, in a campuswide message, USC President Carol Folt stated that the university would continue reviewing its programs and practices to ensure they align with academic goals and legal requirements. The message linked to an FAQ explaining that USC is “reviewing its ‘DEI-related’ programs and practices” to ensure compliance with recent executive orders and agency guidance.
Changes Across USC
At the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the website’s “diversity and inclusion” section has been renamed “mission and vision.” Faculty titles have also changed, with Professor Laura Castañeda’s role shifting from “associate dean of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access” to “community and culture.”
Castañeda declined an interview with The Times but told Annenberg Media, a student publication, that the goal was to “soften language.”
“I think the idea was—and I think this is true university-wide—[that we would] ‘soften language, just because it might buy us some time.’ We’re going to continue the work—the work doesn’t stop. But let’s not make ourselves obvious targets; let’s not pick a fight,” she explained.
Similar shifts are evident at the School of Cinematic Arts, where a previously available “diversity and inclusion” webpage has been replaced with a “culture and community” page. The school also removed a detailed DEI commitment statement and information about the Gerald Lawson Fund, a scholarship for Black and Indigenous students interested in gaming and technology.
An email from Kristin Borella, associate dean for communications and public relations at the Cinematic Arts school, advised faculty on the use of “approved” nondiscrimination language.
“For those of you promoting events, please make sure that the following language appears on your materials, websites, emails, ads, etc. This is approved language from central which is being folded into all events and programming language for the university,” the email read. “This program is open to all eligible individuals. [INSERT NAME OF SCHOOL/UNIT/ORGANIZATION] operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.”
When reached for comment, Borella stated that Cinematic Arts Dean Elizabeth Daley was unavailable for an interview.
Faculty Resistance
Some faculty members have criticized USC’s response. Howard Rodman, a professor at the Cinematic Arts school, voiced concerns over the university’s strategy.
“I think that USC’s strategy is not to call attention to itself—not to ‘put targets on our backs,’” Rodman said. “We are in essence saying: This is just a change in outward-facing nomenclature that will enable us to continue our good work. To me, this is at best self-consoling rhetoric. Everything I know about authoritarianism is that small compliances only lead to larger compliances, until one is left with neither one’s mission nor one’s dignity.”
Similarly, Amelia Jones, vice dean of faculty and research at the Roski School of Art and Design, labeled the university’s actions as “capitulation.”
“If nobody is going to stand up to this, what are we doing here at a university anyway?” Jones asked. “Are we here to just secretly do DEI?”
For now, USC continues to evaluate its approach, navigating legal uncertainties while faculty and administrators weigh the broader implications of compliance.
Source: Los Angeles Times
