Maricopa County Community Colleges adopt new rules to comply with Trump's 'anti-DEI' policies

The Maricopa County Community College District adopted policy changes removing programs and accommodations for minority students and staff, the LGBTQ community and other diversity groups to comply with orders handed down by the Trump administration.

In an email sent to staff in February, Chancellor Dr. Steven Gonzales specifically cited a letter sent by the Department of Education directing educational institutions to end any policy or action that “used race as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming.”

In response to that letter, the district cancelled convocation ceremonies for students from “diverse communities and special interest groups,” Gonzales wrote in an email to students last week.

According to the district’s website, its community colleges held those ceremonies for multiple groups last year, including African American, American Indian, Asian-Pacific Islander and Hispanic students.

Gonzales said the changes were in response to executive orders issued by President Donald Trump and guidance from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

“Based on the current state of affairs and as a public institution, we must comply with the law and enforcement guidance issued by regulatory agencies,” Gonzales said.

But the changes implemented by the district go well beyond the “race, color, or national origin” guidance included in the letter.

The district cancelled all special convocations, which included events for veterans, LGBTQ students, disabled students and foster youths last year.

“So it's just a wide swath of people that are really being affected under this order,” said state Rep. Lorena Austin (D-Mesa), Arizona’s first openly non-binary legislator and a former Mesa Community College student body president.

Austin said these types of changes were likely inevitable at places like the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the country, after Trump issued a handful of executive orders attacking so-called “diversity, equity and inclusion programs” in government agencies and institutions that receive federal funding.

“At a time when things aren't shocking, I think it was still really shocking to a lot of people when we saw this executive order truly impact what we had predicted,” Austin said.

Gage Skidmore/CC BY 2.0

In emails to students and staff last week, Gonzales listed numerous changes to longstanding policies, including the removal of “gender identity-related language,” like pronouns, from email signatures and business cards. The district will also remove gender-neutral or all-gender bathrooms.

The district also ended support for its Diversity Advisory Council and employee groups “that are centered on race, identity, or national origin.” That includes Equality Maricopa, an employee group within the district made up of employees who identify as LGBTQIA+ and their allies. Since 2021, Equality Maricopa has awarded scholarships to support LGBTQIA+ students.

“So these organizations and entities are there to provide opportunities for students that might not get them otherwise,” said Austin, who spoke at the Equality Maricopa convocation when they graduated in 2018. “And, unfortunately, when we talk about the LGBTQ+ community, all we're seeing is attacks on that group.”

Austin said that, although the district’s recent changes do not affect student groups, students will be impacted by the new policies.

“And so this group was at least a safe space for students to turn to, to have those opportunities afforded to them, but also just find a sense of community,” Austin said. “So, it’s devastating, because it's not only impacting the faculty and staff association, but the students that felt safe, going to these people who work in our institutions.”

A Maricopa County Community College District spokesperson said the district must comply with all local, state and federal laws, including directives from the Department of Education.

“In response to this guidance, the District was obligated to conduct an internal audit. … We recognize that these required changes may be disappointing to some of our students and employees,” the spokesperson said. “However, we remain committed to fostering a welcoming learning environment for all students as they pursue their educational goals.”

According to the district, the decisions to cut the affected policies and programs were based on an array of executive orders issued by the Trump administration in addition to the Department of Education letter. Trump has issued two executive orders aimed at ending federal funding for DEI programs and another stating the federal government will recognize two genders.

“The cultural and special interest convocations were run under the same guidelines, and given the guidance we received, it was determined that they would need not to occur this year,” the spokesperson said. “However, it does not impact our colleges’ primary commencement ceremonies.”

Gonzales wrote that a failure to comply with federal guidance could put the district’s federal funding and ability to accept federal financial aid at risk, echoing threats made in the Department of Education’s Feb. 14 letter. According to the district’s budget, it received around $21 million in federal grants and over $112 million in student financial aid last year out of a $1.7 billion budget.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify Rep. Lorena Austin's former position with Mesa Community College.