USC removes Office of Diversity and Inclusion webpage amid compliance review after Trump executive order
USC is reviewing web pages referencing “diversity” and “inclusion” to ensure compliance with federal regulations following recent executive orders.
The university has already taken down its Office of Diversity and Inclusion webpage and is restructuring DEI efforts, following a broader trend among universities adjusting to new legal requirements.
The University of Southern California (USC) recently announced that it is reviewing web pages that contain references to “diversity” and “inclusion” to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
“We are conducting this review to clarify the intent of our programs and practices, strengthen their effectiveness, and ensure alignment with our compliance obligations in light of recent executive orders and agency guidance,” the university administration stated, according to The Daily Trojan.
USC President Carol Folt added that the school will attempt to “comply fully with evolving legal requirements.”
The school’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity will not exist independently of other departments within the university, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The web page for USC’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion has already been taken down. An archived version of the page shows the profiles of several DEI-specific officers and statements referencing “diversity” and “inclusion.”
As of publishing time, the diversity office’s page on the school’s website is mostly blank. “We’ve joined forces with the Culture Team,” it states. “For information on the university’s culture and values work, visit the USC Culture Journey website.”
In addition to having multiple DEI positions, USC also has course curriculum related to the controversial topic. According to The Daily Trojan, USC has 39 classes that fall under a general education requirement called “Equity in a Diverse World.”
USC is far from the only school to remove references to DEI on its website following President Trump’s anti-DEI executive order.
For instance, the University of Michigan’s School of Nursing removed its DEI page, along with a DEI statement. Columbia University and Northeastern University in Massachusetts also eliminated references to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs on their respective websites.
Last month, the University of Cincinnati issued a statement announcing that it will remove DEI initiatives. East Carolina University also decided to eliminate DEI requirements that were previously in place for students to graduate.
On Feb. 17, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it eliminated more than $600 million in grants that went toward funding “divisive ideologies” “social justice activism,” DEI, and “Critical Race Theory.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Southern California for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
