Remember What Our Values Are

Leon Hu ’29

Opinion Editor

We live in tumultuous times for higher education. In the wake of regime changes at the federal level, American universities have come under attack; thousands of university research grants have been cancelled, elite universities continue to feud with the Trump administration and federal funding cuts to universities are promised if universities fail to comply with anti-DEI policies. Right now, American colleges and universities have a choice: comply with federal orders and compromise on their values, or remain steadfast and shoulder the burden that comes with challenging federal orders. 

Consequently, it is concerning that on Thursday, Feb. 5, President Lugo announced that the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion would be renamed the Office of Community and Beloning. In theory, this change is merely semantic. If the only change made is the name, then the goal of the Office of maintaining a diverse and cohesive community on campus should be identical to what it was before the change. 

However, given the current social context, this seems highly unlikely. Rebranding DEI offices has become a method of subtly complying across with federal DEI policies nationwide. In fact, the name “Office of Community and Belonging” is hardly unique. A Chronicle case study of public colleges in Florida and Texas in 2024 found that the terms “community” and “belonging” were among the most popular choices for rebranding DEI offices for compliance. Similarly, Harvard Divinity School rebranded their DEI office to the exact same name as ours last July. Other schools have renamed similar offices in very similar ways, like UMD rebranding their Office of Diversity and Inclusion to Belonging & Community at UMD, or Northeastern rebranding their Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to the “Office of Belonging.” Despite slight differences in names, the attempt to both comply with and avoid federal DEI policies remains. 

Thus, renaming our Office of DEI suggests that we, too, are willing to compromise on our core values. In the campuswide email about the issue, there is no mention of “diversity,” “equity” or “inclusion” except for the two times when it is used to reference the name change. The new ideals suggested — access, belonging, connection and curiosity/open inquiry — can all mean very similar things. However, if anything, they feel too similar. Choosing to suddenly rebrand “equity” and “inclusion” to “access, belonging, and connection” does not change the meaning in any significant way, but it does allow Trinity to distance itself with the controversies associated with having an office of DEI. In short, it allows us to abandon, in name, our values that feel too controversial. 

We must remember who we are. We are a campus that is built on diversity. About half of our applicants in any given year are international. We tout national awards for community engagement and being a safe space for queer students. In an article last year announcing that we had won a HEED award for the third year in a row, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was attributed as being responsible for the award. 

We must also remember what the stakes are at hand. We live in a time where international and non-white students feel threatened by the federal immigration crackdown, where students turn to progressive schools in hopes of finding a place where they can be who they are. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that we continue to create a space where our students can be students without fear of condemnation for who they are.

So far, the name change remains just a name change. However, the path of Trinity’s values has already begun to blur. Last fall, the QRC’s chalking tradition faced unexpected hurdles due to the new policies on protests and demonstrations. Combined with an office rebrand that changes little more than avoiding the term “DEI” in a time where hundreds of universities have done the same to comply with federal orders, we risk continuing this difficult path away from the values that we hold true to our hearts. 

American higher education is at a crossroads. Schools can comply with federal demands, paying settlements, removing noncompliant academic programs entirely or even censoring course materials from key figures in history. Alternatively, they can hold strong. They can keep teaching what they should teach; they can create a safe haven for students in a time where our nation needs it most. 

As a small, private and prestigious institution in a liberal state, we are uniquely poised to do this. Difficult as it may be, we must hold strong against the pressures placed on us. If we must rename an office to continue doing what we do, so be it. Yet, let us never forget that the diversity that makes us who we are is also what allows us to carve our way forward in a world hostile to education.