This story is part of Delmarva Public Media’s Intergenerational Beats Initiative that pairs professional and student journalists to cover issues that shape and impact our communities.
Host intro:
In a historic decision last June, the U.S. Supreme Court severely limited, if not effectively ended, the use of affirmative action in college admissions. That opened the way for President Donald Trump, now in his second term, to order an end to all Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs in the federal government.
Delmarva Public Media’s Sydney Rutledge-Smith takes a look at how that order might affect the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, one of the state’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Trump quote: “I will…. Across the federal government…”
As Donald Trump campaigned for President last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action programs in college admissions.
Now, as president, Trump’s executive orders targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in the U.S. government have cast a cloud of uncertainty on similar efforts in the private sector and academia.
The new administration’s attack on Diversity Equity and Inclusion, commonly known as DEI, could have a particularly hard impact on one major Eastern Shore institution: the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, or UMES, one of the state’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Founded after the Civil War, UMES is one of more than 100 historically black colleges and universities founded in the Jim Crow era of the American segregated South, a time when almost all colleges and universities banned entrance to African Americans. Trump’s orders quashing DEI in the public sector don’t reach directly into predominantly Black institutions of higher learning, but some academics worry that a gauntlet has been laid, since diversity, equity and inclusion lie at the very center of their mission.
Robert Vickers soundbite
That is Robert Vickers, vice president for strategic communications and marketing at UMES.
Although the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne stands as an independent institution, it receives support from a wide variety of federal grants and programs, all of which the Trump administration is seeking to cleanse of any whiff of DEI.
Robert Vickers soundbite #2
Trump’s aggressive posture on DEI is also being felt by the student body, many of them embarking on careers in a very different professional environment than the one that existed until January 20. Some worry about the school’s funding, and the impact on them personally.
Keera Booker soundbite
That’s Keera Booker, a graduating senior at UMES.
Keera Booker soundbite continued….
Trump’s moves also are being closely watched by groups that represent Historically Black Colleges and Universities, sometimes called HBCUs. Dan Ford, president of the National HCBU Alumni Alliance, told Delmarva Public Media that the changes are a matter of quote “deep concern,” adding that they could present significant challenges to students and their families already facing financial strains.
Vickers, however, said HCBU’s are here to stay:
Vickers soundbite #3
Meanwhile, a coalition of professors, diversity officers and restaurant worker advocates has filed a federal lawsuit in a bid to block Trump’s executive orders that target diversity, equity and inclusion, alleging that he exceeded his authority.
With Kevin Diaz on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, this is Sydney Rutledge-Smith for Delmarva Public Media.
