Support tailored diversity initiatives in higher education

The Trump administration's aggressive targeting of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at universities raises serious concerns about protecting equal educational opportunities for all students. More than 50 colleges and universities now face federal investigations for allegedly discriminating against white and Asian American applicants through race-conscious admission practices and partnerships. This crackdown follows the administration's warning that schools could lose federal funding over so-called "race-based preferences" in any aspect of campus life. By interpreting last year's Supreme Court ruling so broadly, the administration aims to dismantle longstanding efforts to promote diversity and address historical underrepresentation of marginalized groups in higher education. While ensuring fair and merit-based admissions is important, the blanket prohibition on considering race threatens to undermine universities' ability to cultivate an inclusive, multicultural learning environment that exposes students to diverse perspectives and prepares them for our globalized society. Diversity enriches the educational experience and strengthens institutions. I urge you to carefully examine this misguided policy and its potential to erect new barriers for underrepresented students. Promoting true equal opportunity requires proactive measures, not an enforced colorblindness that ignores systemic inequities. Universities should have the flexibility to pursue properly tailored diversity initiatives that expand access without discriminating against any racial group. I hope you will speak out against this administration's campaign that could set back decades of progress toward making higher education more equitable and representative of America's diversity.