Delta College President Michael Gavin, students, and faculty speak about the “Dear Colleague” letter and possible effects of cuts to federal funding and DEI programs
By Mikaila Bluew
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Colleges and universities across the nation are facing a deadline today to end all diversity programs or face federal funding cut offs. Delta College has remained headstrong in its stance against these executive orders, with an understanding that federal funding cuts would be devastating—but unlikely.
“There are three branches of government, the executive branch is not the one that makes law,” Delta College President Michael Gavin says.
Correspondence sent by President Donald Trump’s administration Feb. 14, known as the “Dear Colleague letter,” gave institutes 2 weeks to end all programs labeled as “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI).
These executive orders sparked concern across the country, leaving many students worried over losing organizations that support their education. Gavin spoke to these concerns in an interview with the Delta Collegiate on Wednesday.
“One of the elements that came up today was we don’t want students to feel like they don’t belong. In fact, we want them to feel like they do belong,” Gavin says. “If they think that things are changing because of what they’re hearing in the national news, get in contact with your professor, with my office, with the Vice President of Student Services office.”
Students across Delta are concerned that if there is no fight to keep these programs active, it may make discrimination seem acceptable. Fearing that without initiatives like DEI, the clubs and organizations they worked to build would no longer exist. Delta College students and faculty shared their stance on how these programs help to support everyone.
“It’s not just about race, it’s handicapped people,” a member of the Society of Hispanic Leaders Abril Serrato says. “It’s not just about gender, what about a woman that’s on maternity leave that has a baby, what are her rights? I mean, It’s just about humans. It’s more than just a race. It’s more than sexual orientation.”
DEI is often mischaracterized as being exclusionary, but Delta students and advisors point out the inherent inclusivity of these programs. This ideal was one students and faculty honed in on, sharing that these programs being cut would affect everyone.
“It’s either going to break us, divide us, or unite us, and I feel that we have to be united. We have to put differences aside because it’s not just a race thing,” said Society of Hispanic Leaders Advisor Monica Hernandez.
Gavin pointed out that the Dear Colleague letter accused DEI programs of violating Civil Rights laws. The programs, he says, are in line with the Elliott Larsen Act, which requires Michigan institutes to be in accordance with state Civil Rights laws.
The misunderstanding of DEI goes further than just the letter, with people feeling there is a general misconception of what belonging, diversity, equity, and inclusion mean and represent.
“They don’t know that it stands for diversity, which breaks out into so many things,” Dorian Phelps, the advisor for the Black Student Union says. “I mean those words taken just in themselves, belonging, who doesn’t want to belong somewhere, right? Equity, a fairness about the world. Who doesn’t want fairness? Inclusion. Come sit down at the table. You’re in this community.”
Gavin, who founded the national group “education for all” —a collective of over 1200 higher education presidents and professionals supporting DEI programs—has centered his career around equity.
Education for All has seen first-hand what these programs can do, with a 15% increase in overall graduation rates over three years. Within these statistics, there has been an increase in Hispanic graduation rates of 19%, and 20% for Black students. Because of this, these demands have not been met lightly, and Delta College has no plans to cut any of its “belonging, equity, diversity, and inclusion” (BEDI) programs.
Many shared their support in the decision to continue fighting for these programs, feeling it is common sense to foster belonging and equity.
“It says DEI is about ensuring we rule out systemic discrimination,” Society of Hispanic Leaders member Alicea Gonzalez-Lopez says. “Why would you want to take that? Why would you want discrimination to even be an option?”
Despite this support, Gavin was candid about what losing federal funding would mean for the college. Delta College relies on federal funding to provide students with an education and keep campuses open.
“If we didn’t have Federal financial aid, that for almost all community colleges in the country, would be catastrophic,” Gavin says. “I don’t—I wouldn’t let that happen, meaning I would not let the college fall over a stance, but I also don’t think that would happen.”
The demands in the Dear Colleague letter were taken to court Tuesday by the American Federation of Teachers, the union’s Maryland affiliate, and the American Sociological Association. The education groups are in pursuit of blocking the order in the letter from going through, adding to Delta’s security in the decision to make no change in operations.
“We have no intention of stopping the work that we’re doing with diversity, equity and inclusion,” Gavin says.
He expressed that he would want DEI groups to be part of the decision-making process if programs have to be shut down or changed.
Delta’s staff and students underscored the importance of continuing to educate ourselves and striving to keep an open mind about communities around us.
“I think one of the best things we can do is be curious about each other and that breaks down barriers. It alleviates fears,” Phelps says. “You soon find out how many more human and humane commonalities you have with each other.”
