Pitt scraps Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as Trump pushes against DEI

Pressured by the Trump administration, the University of Pittsburgh has eliminated its Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, joining the ranks of institutions across the country that are changing their ways as President Donald Trump rails against diversity programs.

A message from University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel and Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for institutional engagement and wellbeing, notified the school community on June 30 that the office was being replaced by the Office of Institutional Engagement and Wellbeing.

Gabel and Pickett acknowledged the change came in response to a letter the U.S. Department of Education circulated that criticized DEI.

Carnelo Mazzotto, a Pitt senior in environmental studies, told TribLive on Thursday he believes the university made the change only because of backlash from the Trump administration.

“Recently, I’ve seen … they have been conforming with the recent administration a lot more, and it’s kind of very annoying to be a student right now and to see the chancellor take actions that are against these things,” he said.

Students, he said, should feel welcome on the university’s Oakland campus.

The Education Department’s February letter came from Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

“Educational institutions have toxically indoctrinated students with the false premise that the United States is built upon ‘systemic and structural racism’ and advanced discriminatory policies and practices,” Trainor wrote.

Trainor advised all educational institutions to “ensure that their policies and actions comply with existing civil rights law” and threatened to revoke federal funding.

“Proponents of these discriminatory practices have attempted to further justify them — particularly during the last four years — under the banner of ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ (‘DEI’), smuggling racial stereotypes and explicit race-consciousness into everyday training, programming and discipline.”

Trump has condemned diversity, equity and inclusion programs, often known as DEI, threatening to revoke federal funding from institutions that promote them.

Pitt’s new office “will ensure oversight and support in key areas such as civil rights and Title IX compliance, (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility and accommodations, sexual misconduct prevention education, and the monitoring of institutional progress on campus climate and student success,” according to the message from Gabel and Pickett.

Bullying tactic?

On the Education Department’s website, a notice acknowledges the department will take no action in light of a federal judge’s April ruling that the letter’s threats could not be enforced.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the National Education Association.

Pitt, however, seems to be reacting anyway.

“This change allows us to meet this moment while advancing values that have long defined our university: integrity, fairness, inclusion, and a belief in the possibilities for every member of our community,” Gabel and Pickett wrote.

Caitlin Bhagwandeen, who works at Pitt’s Hatfull Lab, said she hopes the change doesn’t impact the school’s admissions or diversity.

Harold Jordan, nationwide education equity coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said DEI programs are designed to make institutions accessible to a broader range of people.

“There’s nothing unlawful about that,” he said.

But the Trump administration’s rhetoric around DEI has sparked lawsuits, programming changes and uncertainty.

“A variety of institutions have been left to guess at what might trigger scrutiny of what they do and overact and inappropriately react,” Jordan said, likening the Trump administration’s tactics to bullying.

What’s in a name?

Trump blamed diversity initiatives when a military helicopter and passenger jet collided in January over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport. He signed a memorandum removing DEI initiatives from the Foreign Service.

The president also signed an executive order on the first day of his current term directing officials to terminate all diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies and programs in the federal government.

Another major Pittsburgh nonprofit, Highmark, has also made DEI-related changes, renaming a team focused on equitable health.

Highmark’s Enterprise Equitable Health Institute was renamed the Institute for Strategic Social and Workforce programs, spokesman Dan Laurent said in a statement.

Veronica Villalobos, who was appointed vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion in 2020, has a new title as vice president of the Institute for Strategic Social and Workforce Programs.

“We believe the new name more adequately reflects the important work the team does and impact it has across the (entirety) of the Highmark Health enterprise,” Laurent said, adding the new name does not change the team’s mission of advancing a commitment to “caring for all people equitably, and with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

‘Scary time’

A host of institutions have rolled back DEI programs and references to such initiatives.

Major League Baseball removed references to diversity from its careers webpage, the Associated Press reported. A Forbes list of companies moving away from DEI includes IBM, Gannett and Constellation Brands Inc., which brews Corona and Modelo Especial beer.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported the University of Pennsylvania removed diversity initiatives from its website.

Dena Stanley, executive director of the transgender advocacy group Trans YOUniting, said DEI programs exist to improve equity and accessibility.

“Taking that away, that leaves the door open for all types of discrimination, harassment and just disgustingness,” she said. “It’s going to be a scary time for a lot of us minority folks, especially as a Black trans individual.”