In recent decades, Northwestern has touted its efforts to support students through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
“At Northwestern, we believe that diversity — of background, identity, belief, interest, expertise — is essential to undergraduate learning and to a healthy society,” reads the NU undergraduate admissions page, as of publication.
In 2021, NU was awarded the Higher Education Excellence and Distinction Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-related publication in post-secondary education. The University received the national honor in the following two years as well.
However, when President Donald Trump issued executive orders targeting DEI-related content in federally-funded institutions in January, universities across the nation capitulated. A few weeks later, NU gradually removed terms, resources and pages that didn’t comply with the Trump administration’s demands.
“Northwestern University is in the process of removing outdated information from its websites and ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements,” the Office of the Provost website reads.
In February, the Feinberg School of Medicine became the first to scrub DEI content, with its Office of Diversity & Inclusion becoming the Office of Health Equity. Soon after, on Feb. 14, the Department of Education sent a letter to universities, giving them two weeks to eliminate race-based programs.
In response, NU began a university-wide effort to remove DEI-related content. Now, many NU websites have been updated to reflect the Trump administration’s orders and have erased resources, history and information that was once easily accessible to members of the University.
“Northwestern maintains a website dedicated to Responding to Federal Policies, including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Travel and Immigration issues, and we offer a broad range of health, wellness and personal growth resources that are available to all students, including numerous Student Affairs departments and programs,” wrote a University spokesperson in an email to The Daily.
Student Enrichment Services
Prior to the institution-wide DEI cleanse, Student Enrichment Services had a dedicated page of information for undocumented students and those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. As the main resource for First-Generation, Low-Income and Undocumented/DACA students on campus, the SES website highlighted opportunities for students to navigate their college journey.
SES no longer has a form where students can connect with the Director of Multicultural Student Affairs Alejandro Magaña or the Assistant Director of Student Enrichment Services Jesus Galvan to answer questions or provide information.
Information on the Advancement for the Undocumented Community at NU, a partnership with Multicultural Student Affairs to “build awareness” surrounding FGLI/Undocumented students and the Sharing the Dream Conference have also been removed from the website.
Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
Formerly known as the “Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion,” the hub used to have an “Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accountability” approach in its commitment to include members of the NU community. Prior to the takedown, the OIDI website promoted inclusion and equity, developing diverse leaders and informing students, faculty and staff about institutional resources of the OIDI website.
Not only was the office renamed the “Office of Community Enrichment,” but minority-owned businesses, heritage months and cultural recognitions and gender inclusive initiatives links have been scrubbed from the website. Even information about climate survey guidance and student, faculty and staff reports has been removed entirely.
Northwestern Career Advancement
The Northwestern Career Advancement office hosts programming that develops undergraduate and graduate students alongside alumni with partnerships both in and out of the University. NCA once held an “Identity-based Career Resources” section on its website that offered specific advice and information for users.
“We recognize that there is intersectionality in our identities and encourage you to explore the information on all of these pages that is relevant to your background,” the page once stated.
The website provided career resources for non-white, disabled, DACA/Undocumented, Women, Veterans, FGLI and LGBTQ+ students.
Specific resources, such as the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, Out & Equal and InHerSight no longer appear on the website. Students of underrepresented backgrounds can no longer use the website to connect with NCA members to discuss the intersection of identity and career development and learn tips on how to deal with potential discrimination in the workplace.
Multicultural Student Alliance
Back in 2004, Multicultural Student Affairs was created to gather resources and information central to African-American, Asian/Asian American and Hispanic/Latino students. Grouped with SES under “Campus Inclusion and Community,” the center was a place for students to connect, interact and build relationships with one another.
Events such as the “Northwestern Spring Pow Wow,” the Black House’s “What’s Poppin?” and the Women’s Center’s “Sana Sana” used to be promoted under the “Community Gatherings” section of MSA’s website. Instead, a “Campus Inclusion & Community End-of-Year Celebrations” has replaced it, with no individual campus inclusion events advertised at the time of publication.
Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
After the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center’s website came back online in May, it lacked references to previous “gender-inclusive initiatives,” like the Gender-Queer, Non-binary, and Trans Task Force. The GSRC’s revised mission statement removes mentions of “personal and collective queer liberation,” instead specifying support for “all students working toward personal and community empowerment.”
The GSRC website also scrubbed many resources and terminology related to the LGBTQ+ community. One removed webpage provided information about gender-affirming care and hormone therapy, while other pages discussed legal, housing and food access.
Edward Simon Cruz contributed reporting.
Email: [email protected]
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