After a slew of Northwestern schools eliminated mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion programs from their websites in recent days, Northwestern’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance was no different. The office took down its pages on affirmative action and diversity recruitment resources this week.
Previously, OCR’s website contained a prominent home-page redirect to its “Affirmative Action Plan,” which outlined the University’s efforts to ensure equitable employee recruitment.
“To address areas of underrepresentation Northwestern University actively seeks applicants for employment and promotional opportunities who are women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities to maintain a University community that is based on equal opportunity, reflects the diversity of American society and improves opportunities,” the site read in part.
On the now-archived page, the University said it still made hiring decisions based strictly on relevant qualifications.
To comply with Trump’s DEI crackdowns, OCR also targeted its “Diversity Recruitment Resources” page. Until this week, the site listed resources for hiring managers to effectively search for diverse candidates.
The rapid succession of removals follows two Trump administration executive orders, signed in January, that required educational institutions receiving federal funding to terminate all DEI grants, positions, programs and policies. In a Feb. 14 memo, the Education Department threatened to “assess compliance” with applicable regulations within 14 days.
“Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence and individual achievement,” part of Trump’s Jan. 21 order reads.
On Feb. 21, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from terminating equity-related grants.
The Department’s memo argues that DEI programs violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating based on race. Meanwhile, proponents of DEI initiatives argue the inverse — that they prevent race-based discrimination by providing equal access to opportunities.
In addition to OCR, the following schools and University-affiliated services have expelled DEI from their websites: NU’s School of Communication; McCormick School of Engineering; Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications; Bienen School of Music; Northwestern Career Advancement and others have expelled DEI from their websites.
Currently, the School of Education and Social Policy and The Graduate School are NU’s lone dissenting schools as the Trump administration increases pressure on federally-funded institutions nationwide.
Email: isaiahsteinberg2027@u.northwestern.edu
X: @IsaiahStei27
Related Stories:
— Three Northwestern schools take down DEI sections on their web pages
— Northwestern Libraries’ website removes DEI mention as University responds to executive orders
— NU Kellogg removes DEI Pathway amid Trump executive orders
