diversity

The U.S. Department of Education’s demands under the Trump administration — struck down a month ago by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire — led to the elimination of an inclusion committee and the suspension of a census of Afro-descendant students at the University of Puerto Rico.

The federal Education Department is eliminating Hispanic-Serving Institutions and minority-focused programs, cutting $20.7 million that eight Puerto Rican universities received this academic year for research, infrastructure, and student support.

With a student body that is 97% Hispanic, Puerto Rico’s public and private universities face significant risk if a federal lawsuit to end grants for Hispanic-Serving Institutions succeeds.

Federal measures have stalled the limited progress in diversity policies at Puerto Rico’s public university by halting a census of Afro-descendants and eliminating inclusive bathrooms under the threat of funding cuts. More than 25 members of the university community warn that these policies will worsen the marginalization of historically excluded sectors.