By Jack Haslett and Ethan Cohen
President Donald Trump has issued a barrage of executive orders since his inauguration, from pardons and mountain-renaming to repealing dozens of Biden-era policies.
Every executive order will impact the entire nation. However, college students and university-specific programs may experience a more direct effect than others.
One of the first actions Trump took upon returning to office was signing an executive order rescinding 78 Biden-era executive orders and actions, many of which had shaped higher education policy.
Executive orders affecting education:
The “Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free From Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity” was designed to protect students from discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in educational institutions.
Its revocation may weaken protections under Title IX, potentially impacting LGBTQ+ students’ rights on college campuses, including access to facilities, participation in sports and protections against harassment.
The “White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics” initiative aimed to support Hispanic students and Hispanic-serving institutions, including Long Beach State, by increasing access to educational resources and economic opportunities.
Rescinding it could reduce federal support for programs assisting Hispanic students, affecting funding for scholarships, research initiatives and institutional improvements.
The “White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities” order focused on expanding access to education for Native American students.
Its repeal could result in decreased federal funding and support for Native American students, making higher education less accessible for Indigenous communities and limiting available resources.
The revocation of these orders signals a shift away from federal policies that aimed to enhance equity and inclusion in higher education, potentially affecting funding, student protections and institutional resources.
Executive orders affecting international students:
The “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” order increases scrutiny for anyone applying for visas, including F-1 visas, the more common form of U.S. student visa, and J-1 visas, which permit international students to live and study in the United States as part of an exchange program.
The increased requirements in security vetting for visas could make it more difficult for international students to be approved to study in the U.S.
This order could also make it more difficult for international students already in the U.S. looking to renew their visas.
Since taking office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump has rescinded 78 Biden-era executive orders and issued 36 new orders, according to the federal government register. Graphic credit: El Nicklin
Executive orders affecting immigration:
The “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” order takes direct aim at people—and by extension, students—who are undocumented, including institutions that provide aid to people who are undocumented.
The order requires that grants and other forms of federal financial support provided to organizations “supporting or providing services, either directly or indirectly, to removable or illegal aliens” be reviewed and possibly rescinded.
CSULB provides several services to students who are undocumented, most notably through the Dream Success Center, which provides free immigration legal services to “all current students, staff (state and auxiliary), faculty, immediate family members of current students… and newly admitted students,” according to the center’s website.
Trump’s order could potentially impact services provided by the Dream Success Center in the future through a loss of federal funding.
Efforts have been made at state and local levels across the country to combat the anti-immigration reforms that have thus far come from Trump’s second term.
Earlier this month, the city of Long Beach passed new policies strengthening the city’s sanctuary city status, which is a term that refers to an area’s policy of protecting immigrants in the area from deportation.
California declared itself a sanctuary state in the past, in addition to Long Beach’s policies at the local level.
Trump has ordered the Department of Justice to prosecute state and local officials who interfere with federal deportation and anti-immigration efforts, likely bringing federal and local governments in conflict with each other.
Executive orders affecting transgender communities:
The “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” order prevents any person under the age of 19 from receiving transition procedures or gender-affirming care, including the use of puberty-blockers, hormones such as estrogen or testosterone to alter one’s body and surgical procedures to transition one’s sex.
The “Defending Women from Gender Ideology and Extremism and Restoring the Biological Truth to the Government” order declares that the federal government only recognizes two binary sexes and does not recognize transgender people.
While it may be too early to tell, this order could conflict with Title IX in colleges and universities, which includes protections from discrimination for transgender college students.
Executive orders affecting diversity, equity and inclusion:
The “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” order and several repeals of Biden-era Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies may affect diversity programs at universities. Trump and several other Republican leaders have criticized DEI policies and how they affect universities.
Republican leaders have criticized learning materials in schools, including public universities, and sought to slash funding for what they have considered DEI-related material.
Active CSULB students are unlikely to be directly affected by the executive order. However, it threatens the university’s DEI initiatives by restricting considerations of race and ethnicity in key programs.
This order could impact outreach, support services and resources designed to foster a diverse student body, potentially reducing opportunities for historically underrepresented groups.
It is important to note that executive orders are not permanent laws and can be challenged in court, potentially leading to their reversal in the future.
