Executive orders from President Donald Trump have recently called for the removal of government support of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Though federal judge Adam B. Abelson recently blocked some of these executive orders, impacts can be felt on college campuses nationwide.
Executive Order 14151, which Trump signed shortly after his inauguration Jan. 20, directs the federal government to terminate DEI and accessibility programs, which the order described as “illegal and immoral discrimination.” Other executive orders, like Executive Order 14173, which is about “ending illegal discrimination” in regards to DEI, and Executive Order 14168, which limits what it calls “gender ideology”, have similar directives.
There have even been other executive orders such as Executive Order 14158, which was created to implement the Department of Government Efficiency, a new agency tasked with cutting federal spending – though a CBS analysis recently found a discrepancy between how much its estimates claimed to save the federal government and the actual value of canceled contracts. The current federal directive to dismantle DEI programs is likely to inform the agency’s targets for spending cuts.
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s DEI Legislation Tracker, 127 laws that would restrict DEI programs have been introduced at the state and federal level in 2025 so far. About 73 of those bills have been tabled, failed to pass or vetoed this year in four states. In total, 16 have become law. None so far have appeared in Nevada.
The Chronicle also reported that there are 38 states in which colleges have been directly affected by DEI changes since January 2023. The Chronicle’s tracking is ongoing, and was most recently added to March 28.
Changes tracked by the Chronicle include the removal of diversity statements from job descriptions, changes to staff training to omit diversity requirements and even the removal of whole offices or student resource centers. Nevada schools haven’t made any policy changes so far.
Melanie Duckworth, the executive director of UNR’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, explained how the university will be acting in regards to its DEI program. She has been the executive director of UNR’s DEI program since June 1, and the office itself has been active for five years.
“Right now there is every indication that our administration is in full support of the office,” Duckworth said. “There’s nothing in our state right now that would suggest that we will be subjected to anything at the state level.”
Duckworth explained that the DEI program is expected to stay in place at the university and will continue to offer students “access and opportunity”.
“We are acting in the way that we always act,” Duckworth commented.
According to the Multi-State Guidance document, the attorney generals of 16 states, including the attorney general of Nevada, claimed, “The Executive Order can not and does not prohibit otherwise lawful practices to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.”
Cheyenne Magpantay, executive assistant for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said the DEI program’s work has a broad impact on campus.
“Our office has worked with the Multicultural Center, ASUN [the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, Reno], different offices across campus that work directly with students,” Magpantay said. “We co-sponsor events, we host events with them, we coordinate through our affinity groups in the office that are specific to the faculty and staff and invite student representation to those groups.”
Magpantay also explained that the university’s DEI program hosts the Northern Nevada Diversity Summit, an annual event that she said is campus-wide and welcomes student perspectives.
Duckworth added that she’s seen the office get nothing but a warm reception since she started as its executive director.
“[It] would suggest to me that our office is very much appreciated on campus,” Duckworth said. “Really, there’s not been anything negative about the office.”
Even should the office be closed, Duckworth said, she’s hopeful that its ideas are bigger than any one program.
“The work that’s being done with students would be work that can continue,” Duckworth said. “It wouldn’t necessarily be driven by this office. One fantastic thing is that the office is sort of the catch-man center for a lot of faculty and student initiatives.”
As long as those initiatives go on, Duckworth argued, so will the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Teagan Greer can be reached via email at Teagangreer@icloud.com or on Instagram @NevadaSagebrush.
