Faculty, staff and administrators at Mississippi’s colleges and universities are growing increasingly weary of the Trump Administration’s crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education.
The far-reaching memos, directives and executive orders, issued at a rapid pace in the first month of Donald Trump’s presidency, have roiled campuses across the country and in Mississippi.
As one professor put it: “Can you please just let us do our jobs?”
It’s unlikely the chaos and confusion will end anytime soon. Last week, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights issued a sweeping memo declaring virtually all race-based programming and admissions policies illegal. This applies to all aspects of student, academic and campus life, including admissions, hiring, financial aid, campus cultural centers, housing and graduation ceremonies.
“Put simply, educational institutions may neither separate or segregate students based on race, nor distribute benefits or burdens based on race,” wrote Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights under Trump.
Schools, community colleges and universities have two weeks to comply with the directive or risk losing federal funding that supports research, student financial aid and other institutional operations.
The department issued the directive, an expanded interpretation of the recent Supreme Court decision overturning affirmative action in college admissions, in the form of a “Dear Colleague” letter, a document that federal agencies utilize to issue up-to-date or updated legal interpretations. It is not a up-to-date regulation or law and is certain to face legal challenges, according to Inside Higher Ed.
That’s what some universities across the country are waiting for, while others have scrubbed their websites and changed programming, according to national reporting.
“It’s meant to create chaos in higher education, and in that it’s been successful,” Todd Wolfson, the president of the American Association of University Professors, told the New York Times. “The responses are all over the map.”
In Mississippi, universities do not utilize race-conscious admissions standards, the result of a historic settlement to desegregate the state’s higher education system.
But many of the universities have offered scholarships for underrepresented students and sponsored multicultural student organizations. Black student unions have existed for decades in Mississippi. These clubs are often funded through student fees, not state appropriations.
Still, it remains to be seen how the directive will affect higher education in Mississippi. Most faculty are hesitant to speak on the record for fear of seeming political. And the most administrations are not speaking out, either. Every university contacted for this story did not respond to questions about if they planned to comply with the directive or what programming would be affected.
“The university is aware of the Department of Education’s recent ‘Dear Colleague’ letter and is reviewing how it may affect our campus,” a University of Mississippi spokesperson wrote in an email.
A spokesperson for the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees wrote in an email that the board is aware of the directive “and will await further legal guidance from the Department as noted in the letter.”
The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s communications director wrote in an email that “I believe IHL has responded to you on behalf of the system.”
“I understand that John Sewell provided you with a response from IHL, which we echo,” the University of Southern Mississippi wrote in an email.
In a statement posted to social media, Mississippi State University wrote the administration “would be assessing our compliance in light of these new interpretations over the next few days.” The statement noted that “some changes and adjustments” will be required.
Despite the widespread anxiety, faculty at some Mississippi universities are facing problems of a more local nature.
At the University of Southern Mississippi, the anxiety churned up by recent program cuts is taking precedence over national politics.
“We’re aware of the other thing,” said Jeremy Scott, the president of USM’s AAUP chapter.
Editor’s note 2/19/2025: This story has been updated to include a social media statement from Mississippi State University.
