To fall in line with executive orders, TU’s DEI office has made some changes.
Among the many executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in the days following his Jan. 20 inauguration, one executive order signed on Jan. 21 sought to end what it characterized as the “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral” practice of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion throughout the federal government and encouraged the private sector to follow suit. Since then, federal agencies, private corporations and educational institutions at all levels have been adapting their policies to avoid political persecution and maintain federal funding. The University of Tulsa is no exception.
Despite being a private university, The University of Tulsa receives federal funding through the Federal Work-Study Program, Federal Student Loan Program and federal research grants — resources many students rely on to pay for school and that university programs depend on for continued operation. In response to these policy developments and to preserve access to these funds, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been renamed the Office of Resilience and Belonging. The sign outside of the former DEI office has been removed and the office’s website has been updated to reflect these changes showcasing a greater emphasis on promoting diversity of thought and life experience rather than race, gender or religion.
This shameful and cowardly masking of DEI practices represents what organizational theorists call “adaptive compliance,” a strategic approach where institutions implement visible changes to align with new political mandates while attempting to preserve their underlying values and functions. The university’s rebranding also exemplifies decoupling, wherein organizations separate their formal structures such as names, policies and public statements from their operational practices, allowing them to maintain legitimacy with external stakeholders while preserving core activities.
Across the country, universities are reevaluating their DEI programs, weighing potential funding implications against their institutional commitments to diversity. Some institutions have opted to modify specific initiatives such as race-based scholarships or targeted hiring practices to address legal considerations while others have chosen to maintain their DEI efforts and prepare for potential financial adjustments. For example, the University of Michigan, known for having one of the most comprehensive and well-financed DEI programs in the country, has removed DEI statements from hiring requirements while maintaining the program’s name and mission statement. The University of Pennsylvania has erased any reference to DEI and affirmative action from its websites, policies and publications and changed the main title of its inclusion website to “Belonging at UPenn.” Other institutions have implemented more substantial changes: the University of Utah has dismantled all cultural centers including resource centers for Black, LGBTQIA+ and female students. On Friday, Feb. 28, The Ohio State University slashed all DEI offices and programming as well as its Center for Belonging and Social Change, resulting in job cuts and changes to scholarship eligibility.
K-12 education systems are also navigating these policy changes. School districts have been directed to discontinue DEI programs and remove related language from school policies. On Feb. 27, the Department of Education launched the “End DEI” portal where parents and students can report schools and districts that maintain DEI policies.
Conversations surrounding these policy changes remain dynamic as the executive order has prompted multiple legal challenges. The Federal District Court for the District of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction temporarily suspending certain aspects of the executive order, ruling that these directives could potentially be found unconstitutional on the basis of ambiguity and free speech considerations. One provision of the executive order not blocked by the preliminary injunction allocated 120 days for the United States Secretary of Education and Attorney General to issue guidance to state and local educational institutions receiving federal funds regarding compliance with both the executive order and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the 2023 decision that ruled affirmative action unconstitutional.
The extent to which the new Office of Resilience and Belonging will maintain its commitment to supporting diverse student populations remains an ongoing development. For the moment, their mission seems to be intact having sponsored several events for Black History Month and by hosting the upcoming Resilience and Belonging Awards Dinner. As this environment continues to evolve, students, faculty and administration at The University of Tulsa and educational institutions nationwide will continue to play an important role in shaping diversity and inclusion on college campuses, in the classroom, and in resisting the Trump administration’s broader mobilization against higher education.
