Universities quietly adjust DEI policies amid Trump threats
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Chicago universities are making small and, in some cases, quiet changes in response to President Trump's threats to cut funding if the schools don't abandon DEI principles.
Why it matters: Chicago and Illinois are home to some of the country's most prestigious universities and attract a large number of diverse students. Moving toward a less welcoming stance may affect enrollment, but not complying could put them at risk of losing federal funding.
Catch up quick: The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter on Feb. 14 outlining why the administration deemed DEI policies at K-12 schools and colleges illegal, making a broad interpretation that these policies violate the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action.
- The letter issued a 14-day deadline to comply.
The latest: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with the Massachusetts and New York AGs, issued guidance last week that explains why DEI is not illegal and is actually required in some cases.
Zoom in: Chicago schools are either in a holding pattern of inaction or complying in subtle ways like removing certain language from university websites.
- Northwestern president Michael Schill sent a letter to students and staff last week promising a commitment to DEI, saying: "We believe that the diversity of our University — bringing together students, faculty and staff from different backgrounds, viewpoints and communities — is essential to our mission of teaching and research."
- A spokesperson for the University of Chicago had no comment when Axios asked if the school was planning any changes in response to the DoED letter.
- U of I spokesperson Robin Kaler told Axios the school is "diligently" reviewing the guidance. "University leadership will make recommendations about how to move forward in a way that is consistent both with the law and the cornerstone values of our university."
Yes, but: Northwestern scrapped mentions of "diversity" and "equity" at the Feinberg School of Medicine website after Trump's executive order in January and took similar actions on other websites, The Daily Northwestern reported.
- UChicago started removing DEI language on their websites in January, according to the Chicago Maroon.
- The Maroon found previous versions of the Harris School of Public Policy's website that included DEI language on the Internet Archives Wayback Machine.
Context: DEI pressure comes as Northwestern is one of 10 universities the Department of Justice plans to visit as part of a task force looking into allegations of antisemitism since 2023.
- Even though Schill testified to Congress last year that the Evanston school would not divest from Israel, which was one of the demands from protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the DOJ has the school in its crosshairs.
Zoom out: It's not just DEI. Trump last week threatened to cut funding to schools that allow "illegal" protests on campus.
- That's most likely directed at Israel-Gaza ceasefire protesters, which were very active at Northwestern and DePaul last year.
- The group Behind Enemy Lines hosted a rally on a public sidewalk near DePaul last week — but not on campus — because they were banned from campus last November. The school continues to enforce that ban, DePaul spokesperson Kristin Claes Mathews told Axios.
- "Behind Enemy Lines is not, nor ever was, a registered student organization at DePaul. While we cannot prohibit Behind Enemy Lines from being present in public areas such as city streets and sidewalks surrounding campus, Public Safety is closely monitoring their presence."
The other side: That event angered some Jewish students at the school, one of whom told ABC 7 he felt unsafe and DePaul shouldn't have allowed the protest to happen.