The Prairie News is a student-led free press. All opinions expressed herein are solely those of the writer and not those of WTAMU.

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into order the action entitled, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” that grossly labels the actions put into place to protect minorities. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices put into place in an attempt to counterbalance the great favor typically given to white and/or affluent males. This was a somewhat disguised way of taking away the requirement to consider the minorities that have been fighting for equal rights for years and it will not make a good impact on higher education.

While this order is new to the nation, a similar action was already in place in Texas, taking effect in Jan 2024. Texas Senate Bill 17 (SB17) requires all higher education institutions to eliminate DEI offices and employees. The Bill included that schools must send proof at the end of every fiscal year as to how they are complying with the order. Institutions in Texas since then have been working to eliminate these offices as well as any training or wording implying “discrimination” is taking place. They, including WT, have even gone so far to get rid of ceremonies and events that could possibly fit the legislative definition of discrimination.

Studies since the implementation of this Bill show just how damaging this can be to universities and their minority individuals and groups. In the Campus Climate Report published by Equality Texas, 65% of students and 76% of faculty reported being negatively impacted by SB17. This was already showing up here at WT in 2023 when President Wendler refused to let Spectrum WT, the LGBTQIA+ advocacy group on campus, host a drag show with children allowed to attend, and again after an age limit was set.This is currently affecting Texas A&M University as the university tried to ban drag shows claiming drag shows are inconsistent with the core values of TAMU. This is hard to argue, considering not only that Draggieland is an annual event on the main campus but also the drag show that should have taken place at WT in 2023. Thankfully, Judge Lee H. Rosenthal ruled that it was against the 1st amendment to ban drag shows.

As you can see, we are facing many issues because of the bans being put into place to silence the minorities, and it needs to end. These bans will only lead to regression in the progress higher education has made to consider all groups, those to whom this country gives inherent privilege.

I, as a white woman, do have some of that privilege, and for that, I am thankful because I see how my People of Color counterparts are treated differently. I also see that the three different Christian groups on campus are allowed more freedom because what I don’t see is a building for people of other religions or communities to meet; In fact, I see four different buildings representing different Christian denominations and a coffee shop backed by a church group. This is relevant because the christian faith is unfortunately known for the mistreatment of the same people who don’t get a space on our campus. The people who choose to worship a certain and specific god are allowed a space, but the people who are born a different color, gender, ethnicity, sexual identity, etc… aren’t. Student organizations represent those who don’t have a place, do what they can, but when the president makes national news, enforcing a denial of one of those groups, it’s hard to fight back. I know we are not the only university experiencing these feelings and worse across Texas.

It’s extremely sad to me that WT, a school with such great potential, can be so blinded by a president who is unwilling to accept those who are different from him. He recently published in his weekly Reflections from WT detailing why he supports banning DEI, “The idea that a demographic characteristic of any kind – race, gender, ethnicity, identity, disability, or any other group characteristic- should overpower individual academic or intellectual performance is antithetical to what any university should be about.” Yet he is also the same president who prides himself on promoting students from rural and small town communities which most would say is a “group characteristic.” WT even received a $200,000 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in March 2024 for its work with rural schools. While some might argue where you are born is different from what race or ethnicity you are, I would argue, you don’t choose where or how you are born. Rural areas being included in DEI is also reflected in former President Biden’s Executive Order 13985, referred to in President Donald J. Trump’s recent executive order.

“For purposes of this order: (a) The term “equity” means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as… persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.” President Biden’s original Bill.

In regards to people being discriminated against, because they’re not in a minority group, I don’t see any reason why colleges even need that information. If you really want to get down to it, the fact that it’s required to apply to college at all is the problem, if you take gender, race, ethnicity, etc… out of what is being reviewed, any actual discrimination would no longer exist. Of course, this wouldn’t be the best solution, but if you’re telling me the 340 million people in this country can’t think of a better system, I’m calling you on it. I simply don’t see why there is such a big move to get rid of the help for these students if it’s not to erase them.

While I admit it’s possible and I’m sure it has happened that DEI was used in the wrong way to discriminate towards people not fitting into its range of misrepresented people. I also believe that if someone truly wanted to right that wrong, they would create legislation or an agency to oversee it more closely as opposed to getting rid of it altogether. Anyone that sees why banning DEI completely is a good thing is buying into the lie that white people are not still being awarded the same privilege as always, when in reality, everyone else was just finally getting a chance too.