TikTok’s banning and subsequent reinstatement lived at the forefront of young minds after January 20th, when the Trump administration reentered the White House. However, other, more consequential executive orders could impact American life on a grander scale beyond social media. In the context of private schools like Benilde-St. Margaret’s, executive orders have less immediate effect, but will create uncertainty for the 95% of BSM students who pursue a college degree.

What is an Executive Order?

Executive orders are directives written and signed by the President of the United States. They are presidential documents, along with Proclamations and Administrative Orders. Executive orders are not legislation and do not need approval from Congress. While Congress could pass legislation to block an order by removing funding, ultimately executive orders are used by the president to ensure that laws are faithfully executed with urgency. Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has used executive orders to implement his proposed policies. More specifically, President Trump terminated what he considered to be excessive expenses, eliminating the federal DEI initiatives enforced under the Biden administration, and proposing layoffs for federal park employees. Furthermore, he created new plans to take advantage of national resources, proposed a drilling plan for more natural resources in Alaska, and implemented new procedures for immigration.

What is DEI?

Depending on who you ask, DEI has many definitions and impacts on the situations where it’s mandated. While Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives were mandated, every federal agency funded by taxpayer dollars had to disclose Equity Action Plans (EAPs). They would report on their progress in creating policies, environments, and procedures that encourage the participation and representation of marginalized groups, as well as their future plans to create equitable opportunities for employees. In addition to the more than 2,000 federal agencies where DEI was enforced before January 20th, many businesses and universities across the nation voluntarily adopted the standards for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The intent behind the termination of DEI programs was to refocus the time and effort of federal agencies on their original purpose. For example, the Food and Drug Administration would spend fewer resources on preparing EAPs and instead center all of its efforts on maintaining standards for medical devices, nutrition, and medication. However, some argue that promoting equal employment and treatment for all employees creates more supportive, efficient, and productive work environments.

Higher education institutions adopted DEI programs as we know them today to confront internal racism and discrimination after the murders of Black Americans like Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020 alerted them to the desperate need for institutional reform. These initiatives played out in admissions and hiring policies, new curricula, and the creation of scholarships for students with disabilities, students with low family income, students who identify as LGBTQIA+, and even students past the typical college age.

At BSM, students already benefit from similar support groups for students looking for safe spaces to talk about problems they are facing, learn new things about others’ experiences, or simply as a space they can share with people they are comfortable with. Mr. Draughn, Director of Inclusion and Belonging, leads a support group open to every single student at BSM. “We call it the affinity group. It’s just students from all backgrounds coming together to learn about history or do events, things like that,” Draughn said.

However, students have noticed that involvement in the affinity group has decreased over the last few years. Junior Liya Elias was active in the affinity group as an underclassman, but has witnessed a decline in participation due to meeting times changing from lunch to homeroom, and schedules that seem to grow more and more full each year. “I had really found a home within affinity, with all the wide variety of kids…[but] I feel like, as time has went on, affinity just isn’t the same anymore,” Elias said.

Yet even as Draughn and other advocates continue to promote and advocate for support systems within the BSM community, students like Elias may face a loss of support if they pursue higher education at an institution that has eliminated its DEI programs.

On the other hand, some see the termination of government-mandated DEI programs as positive. Some worry that DEI initiatives lead to unqualified selections of college applicants so that universities can hit certain diversity quotas. While it’s difficult to say if these worries are well-founded, the American Council on Education has stated that diversity on college campuses is not achieved through quotas, nor does it justify or warrant the admission of unqualified applicants. Ultimately, the Trump Administration’s decision to sack DEI programs could benefit some, but have unintended consequences for others.

For BSM students like me, graduating in 2025, these Executive Orders will likely remain active throughout our next four years of college. As a result, the future of DEI programs is still uncertain, even after the Trump Administration leaves the White House. Many large corporations have followed Trump’s lead, even though they are not required to terminate DEI-related initiatives. Notably, Target has ended DEI programs and reduced diversity-driven partnerships, despite public backlash and resulting boycotts. Ultimately, these executive orders are likely to be some of the more influential, meaning DEI initiatives could remain on the chopping block despite future policy changes.