Students at the College said that they are worried about the future of Dartmouth’s diversity programs, amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on higher education.
Since assuming office in January, Trump has signed a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in federally-funded educational institutions. The Department of Education released a letter on Feb. 14 that required schools who receive federal assistance to cut diversity programs or risk losing funding, according to the New York Times.
There has been no communication from the administration to students about the future of DEI at Dartmouth. However, institutions across the country have made changes to their programs. For example, Columbia University altered and removed DEI statements on university web pages, while the University of Michigan suspended all DEI programs.
Nerissa Chin ’28 said she believes that diversity programs are “specifically important at Dartmouth” because of the College’s history of exclusion.
“[The] College has such a history with marginalized groups and also with being exclusive towards certain groups, so I think that as we move forward and think about what kind of institution we want to be, we do have to take active steps towards including a lot of marginalized groups,” Chin said.
Victory Kumbula ’26, an international student from Zimbabwe, also noted the importance of diversity at Dartmouth.
“I feel that it’s helpful to have voices, faces, experiences that represent things that people do not often get to see or experience, as it gives more thoughts on even the mundane things,” Kumbula said.
Kumbula believes one way the government could support institutions like Dartmouth in fostering diversity would be by “mak[ing] it easier” for international students to access education in the United States.
“Having those international voices on campus, and on campuses all across the world not just Dartmouth, makes… a global village more of a reality than just a wish,” he said.
Richard Perez ’28 voiced concern over a lack of communication from the College. He added that he believes Dartmouth should “try [its] best to make sure that students still feel safe and welcomed” because he said the threat to DEI programs is “very troubling.”
“It would provide a sense of comfort if there was some acknowledgment of what is happening on the national scale politically,” he said.
Several staff members from the Office of Pluralism and Leadership declined to comment and referred The Dartmouth to the organization’s mission statement
“OPAL continues to live its mission to help all Dartmouth students thrive, value difference and contribute to the creation of a socially just world,” the statement reads.
Anahita Chowdhary ’28 said she believes it will be “difficult” for the College to make a public statement regarding DEI without being “targeted by the federal government.”
“It’ll be difficult for [Dartmouth] administration to both assure students that nothing’s going to change, that Dartmouth will retain the values it always has,” Chowdhary said. “But now it’ll be difficult to keep saying that while not getting targeted by the federal government. So I think we need to wait and see. Maybe actions will speak louder than words.”
