Some universities are attempting to balance prioritizing inclusive policies and complying with civil rights laws as the Trump administration threatens to cut funding to their institutions. 

The Trump administration cut millions of dollars worth of funding to two Ivy League institutions it found in violation of civil rights laws this month, while another school in the conference hired a Trump ally as its top lawyer.

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On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives in federal agencies and places that receive federal funding. Many schools in recent years have opened entire offices to increase diversity in the student body and administrative makeup.

Some schools in the South, including the University of Alabama and the University of Texas Austin, had already dismantled their DEI programs due to laws passed by their state legislatures, while other schools ended their programs after Trump’s order.

The University of California system announced Wednesday that it would no longer require diversity statements as part of its hiring processes. The system had asked job applicants to explain how they would contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the university since the early 2000s, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Schools incorporating DEI in their hiring processes have been sued and investigated for violations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from universities, which it says allows “illegal protests.” Students across the country held large pro-Palestinian protests, occupied school buildings, and set up encampments on campus in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel and the ensuing war in the Middle East.

Civil rights organizations, the Trump administration, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have argued that schools allowing such conduct, or not doing enough to punish or investigate antisemitic incidents associated with those demonstrations, have fostered an environment that supports antisemitism which constitutes a hostile learning environment for Jewish students, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In the months after the 2023 attack, Jewish students saw a 2,500% increase in physical assaults and a 900% increase in violent threats. The hostilities prompted hundreds of Title VI complaints and actions, leading to well over 100 investigations being opened up by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

Columbia University, whose encampment was at the forefront of the national conversation on the protests, lost $400 million in federal funding. The Trump administration laid out widespread changes to disciplinary and admissions policies that the university must make to reverse the cancellation. The school said it was reviewing the demands.

The Trump administration additionally froze $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania for violating Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 over its transgender athlete policies. In January, the Department of Education announced it would be enforcing Title IX on the basis of biological sex, as opposed to gender identity.

The president signed an executive order last month to prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports. UPenn has not signaled whether it will adjust its policy.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth College, which is typically seen as less progressive than other Ivy League institutions, announced this week it would hire a Trump ally as the school’s top lawyer. 

Matt Raymer will serve as senior vice president and general counsel to the school, having previously worked as chief counsel at the Republican National Committee. He has been a vocal supporter of the president and publicly supported the Trump administration’s wish to do away with birthright citizenship as a constitutionally protected right. 

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The Trump administration has also changed its policies to allow immigration agents to enter places that were previously considered sensitive, like schools and places of worship, to detain illegal immigrants. Last month, Dartmouth said the school will not change any of its immigration policies in response to the Trump administration’s actions.

Other universities that have not drawn the ire of the Trump administration over alleged civil rights violations have also lost funding. Johns Hopkins University announced it would have to lay off 2,000 employees due to billions from federal grants for various research projects being cut.