Photo courtesy Maricopa Community Colleges District
In response to President Donald Trump’s threat to defund colleges and universities that engage in diversity efforts for students and staff, Maricopa County Community College District is firing workers assigned to DEI roles, removing any language around inclusivity and stopping convocations.
The Arizona Mirror obtained emails sent by administrators to staff at one of Maricopa County’s 10 community colleges on Feb. 28 asking them to remove Black History Month from the school’s homepage, remove the diversity webpage, remove maps of all-gender restrooms and unpublish convocation information.
Convocation ceremonies are generally smaller events held to celebrate graduations and can often focus on groups of students who share a major or a background, such as Hispanic students or LGBTQ students. In an email, MCCCD Chancellor Dr. Steven Gonzales told staff that the changes will not impact the larger commencement ceremonies.
The changes come due to Trump’s executive orders and new priorities set by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which has put a ban on DEI and other topics in schools. Those who don’t comply risk losing all of their federal funding.
“Based on the current state of affairs and as a public institution, we must comply with the law and enforcement guidance issued by regulatory agencies,” Gonzales said in the email to all district employees. “As well-intentioned and successful as some support activities have been for our students, some may no longer be able to continue. As we continue to assess the impact of the federal guidance, additional changes may be necessary to ensure compliance with evolving requirements.”
MCCCD last week already shuttered its largest affinity group for LGBTQ+ staff, students and teachers. Web pages that direct to information on Black History Month or Black Student Unions are already disappearing across MCCCD.
The Mirror also exclusively obtained a spreadsheet being circulated inside MCCCD colleges that purports to show a list of internet links that are up for review to possibly be cut or have their language changed. Among them are:
- Victimology
- Culture and Society
- Chicana and Chicano Studies
- Sustainability
- Sociology
- Documentary Film Production
- Literature
- Music
- Religious Studies
- Psychology Courses
- Multiple Associates of Arts Degrees
- Amnesty International
- Anthropology Club
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Christian Challenge
- LGBTQ+
- Native American Student Association
- Student Honors Association
Some of the links included in the spreadsheet, such as Black History Month and the Black Student Union, have already been removed.
“Website language and content directly related to DEI must be modified or removed,” Gonzales said in an email to staff about the changes. “College website teams will receive further guidance and directions from our District Marketing and Communications Office to ensure we can implement changes by today’s deadline.”
Trump’s Department of Education had given colleges until Feb. 28 to implement changes or face investigations or have federal funding withheld.
Funding for district employees to attend conferences or events “focusing on DEI activities, including race, identity, or national origin” is now prohibited, Gonzales said in the email. Employees can still attend conferences as long as the focus of the events does not “exclusively revolve around those topics.”
“We recognize the importance of creating space for all voices, backgrounds, and perspectives to connect and be heard. However, these employee-specific activities can no longer take place under the present guidance we have received,” Gonzales said. “Please note that student organizations are not impacted.”
MCCCD also ordered their employees to remove pronouns or “other gender identity-related language” from email signatures and business cards, telling employees to follow their brand standards guide.
Gonzales announced that MCCCD will discontinue its Diversity Advisory Council as well as reevaluating all of MCCCD’s “DEI-related positions.”
“We recognize the valuable contributions of our staff and will continue to explore ways that our staff can support our students,” Gonzales said.
In the Feb. 28 email, Gonzales recognized that many of the moves that MCCCD had made on inclusivity had “provided meaningful support to students, faculty and staff.”
“We ask that you join us in navigating this moment with resilience, empathy, and respect for one another,” he wrote. “Moments of change can be difficult, but we will move forward together – continuing to serve our students, protecting access to education, and fostering a culture where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”
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