Old Dominion University faculty and students are speaking out against the implications recent executive orders referencing DEI and education could have on current and future generations of K-12 and higher education students and institutions.

Since his Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2024, President Trump signed a new executive order, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” aiming to eradicate DEI efforts, set in place by former administrations, in the Federal Government completely. In addition, six other executive orders regarding DEI and three regarding education have been signed.

The Department of Education has begun taking actions to remove DEI programs, policies and resources within the Department, per a recent press release, including the removal of webpages from the Department of Education’s website that, “encouraged schools and institutions of higher education to promote or endorse harmful ideological programs,” and removal of the Department of Education’s Equity Action Plan, most recently updated in 2023, that outlines the strategies in place to ensure the advancement of equity in education.

Dr. Steffon Campbell, a lecturer at ODU who describes himself as “an educator who advocates for people to have access to what they need to be educated,” shares his thoughts on the recent executive orders. “Just the notion that DEI lowers standards is not just a myth but is also racist because built into it is the assumption that someone who is not a white male is not as good as them,” says Campbell.

“If it is that someone exists in society, but they are not represented in any space, what can we do to ensure that they are represented in those spaces?” says Campbell when asked about how DEI plays a role in higher education. “It [DEI] is as simple as that.”

Campbell recently started a TikTok account to spread his educational messages further than the typical classroom setting. In a recent video, he debunks the myths surrounding DEI.

J Belin, Speaker of the Senate for ODU’s Student Government Association and avid political activist, is dedicated to engaging the ODU campus and local community in valuable political discussions.

“I think that’s one thing where it, not that it frustrates me, but it almost concerns me how there’s a misunderstanding of what DEI truly represents,” said Belin when asked about the recent executive orders. “For example, affirmative action. People assume that because you’re a minority, you’re getting into this school, but you still must meet the criteria to be put into that school.”

President Trump has also signed three additional education-based executive orders, including, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” “Expanding Education Freedom and Opportunity for Families,” and “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism.”  These executive orders reference the parent’s choice in their child’s education, encouraging a “patriotic education” in public schools, expanding strategies to prevent Jewish students from being discriminated against in public schools and more.

When asked about how K-12 and higher education could be impacted, Campbell said, “Some states have already banned books. Some states are already saying that they won’t teach the history of racism in the United States because you can’t let students feel bad or guilty for things that happened in the past. Schools have already banned things like Critical Race Theory, calling it CRT, and demonizing it.”

Quinn Summers, an ODU student and LGTBQ+ activist said, “Recently, I was using the state department travel advisory website, and I saw that the recent executive orders had removed all mention of transgender individuals from its traveler risk assessment. They substituted the well-known acronym LGBT for the made-up ‘LGB’, an acronym no one has ever used to describe the community, specifically to exclude transgender individuals. This carries true for so many government resources, it’s like they refuse to accept we even exist,” in reference to how those identifying with the LGBTQ+ community could face impacts as a result of the recent executive actions.