Harvard renames DEI office amid feud with Trump administration

Administrators at the Massachusetts Ivy League university planned to rename the school’s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to Community and Campus Life. The new office is planned to focus on expanding cross-cultural programs, supporting low-income college students, and bridging differences with dialogue, The Harvard Crimson reported. Soon after the renaming announcement, officials shared that the school would not fund graduation celebrations for affinity groups, social groups of students with shared interests, beliefs, and backgrounds, The Harvard Crimson reported.

Why does this matter? The changes came amid the university’s public feud with the Trump administration over the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, commonly known as DEI. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to cut funding to universities that practiced DEI. Harvard refused, and in response, the Trump administration paused about $2.2 billion in federal funding for the school. The school then sued the Trump administration, alleging that the order violated the university’s First Amendment rights.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report for more background on the Harvard-Trump dispute.