Community college leaders in San Diego and Chula Vista are pushing back against the Trump administration’s recent demand that schools end their efforts to support racial diversity or risk losing federal funding.
In a memo last month, the Department of Education ordered colleges, universities and public schools across the country to halt any use of “race-based preferences” on their campuses. The department claimed those programs discriminated against white and Asian students and vowed scrutiny for schools that did not make any changes.
Federal officials followed up on that promise Friday, launching investigations into over 50 universities it said were violating federal civil rights laws.
But in an interview with KPBS earlier this month, Southwestern College District Superintendent Mark Sanchez said diversity is core to their mission. He said the South Bay community college district has no plans to change the way it handles graduation ceremonies, student groups or any other facet of campus life.
“Our mission and vision and values have not changed, and we have not deviated from that,” Sanchez said. “That would be a misalignment in the community that we serve.”
Greg Smith, the chancellor of San Diego Community College District, struck a similar tone. Smith’s district is one of the largest in the state and includes San Diego City College, Mesa College, and Miramar College. He says their programs are fully compliant with state and federal law.
“They are intentionally meant to create and foster inclusion,” Smith told KPBS last week. “It's the exact opposite of discrimination.”
A wide-ranging attack
The Education Department’s February memo is part of the Trump administration’s sweeping assault on programs meant to support and increase racial diversity.
In the memo, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor sought to cast those efforts in schools as a violation of the historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling that banned affirmative action in 2023.
Trainor invoked the controversial argument of the plaintiff in that case. The conservative activist group Students for Fair Admissions successfully argued that colleges’ efforts to increase student diversity discriminate against white and Asian students.
The Trump administration official also claimed that the Supreme Court’s ruling extended far beyond the admissions process and effectively banned any consideration of race in decisions related to all “aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”
Trainor took specific aim at affinity graduation ceremonies and student dormitories, which he claimed “encourage segregation.” He said anyone who felt that a school had discriminated against them should file a complaint with the department’s Office of Civil Rights.
“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” he wrote.
Community colleges take a stand
But Sanchez and Smith said their efforts to support diversity aren’t going anywhere.
The two community college districts join the growing number of educators pushing back against the federal orders. Two of the country’s largest teachers unions are suing to block the Trump administration from carrying them out, arguing the memo is vague and violates educators’ free speech rights.
Since January, Sanchez said he’s held multiple listening sessions across campus, trying to let students and staff know that Southwestern wouldn’t be making any changes.
“It's been tough, because those executive orders have been flying fast and furious,” he said. “We just want to make sure that our community understands that we are always here to support them.”
Smith responded to the Trump administration’s memo with a district-wide letter. He called their assertions about diversity initiatives violating federal law “false” and vowed to continue the district’s programs and services.
Smith told KPBS that district officials did consider whether they should change the names of diversity-focused programs or offices but ultimately decided against it.
“If we go and change that name, the signal I feel like we're sending to our students is we're scared,” he said. “It would communicate the exact opposite message we want to communicate.”
Both districts oversee a number of programs meant to support a diverse student body, including affinity graduation ceremonies.
San Diego City College holds ceremonies for Chicano Latina students, AAPI students and members of the student group UMOJA, which supports African American students. Southwestern holds a binational commencement, which is held at CETYS Universidad, Tijuana Campus and is open to all students.
Bracing for funding cuts
Although Smith and Sanchez say their diversity programs are lawful, both officials are also bracing for potential funding cuts.
Both districts receive significant amounts of federal funding. Smith said SDCCD receives about $20 million in federal program funds. Southwestern received close to $12.5 million in those funds last year, according to budget documents.
Additionally, Southwestern and all three San Diego community colleges are considered Hispanic-Serving Institutions. That’s a federal designation reserved for universities where more than 25% of full-time students identify as Latino.
These schools receive extra federal funding. Sanchez said Southwestern receives $4.5 million because of its status.
But the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back diversity initiatives have left the future of that designation unclear. In January, the Education Department’s web page for the program was removed, according to the Internet Archive.
“Right now, that is one of the things that’s just pending,” Sanchez said. “But if we have to find other funding mechanisms to support our work as a Hispanic serving institution, then that's what we'll do.”
Smith said his district is also preparing for the possibility of losing federal funding. He said they have the money to continue their current programs and services through June, when the school year ends.
The chancellor said the district is also in talks with state legislators about grants to fill potential funding gaps. “We'll keep planning to get as far out into the future as we possibly can,” Smith said.
Other schools remain silent
The two leaders’ statements stand out from the more cautious tone taken by other San Diego-area universities.
In an email to KPBS, a UC San Diego spokesperson referred questions to the leaders of the statewide University of California system. UC San Diego is one of the dozens of universities facing a new federal investigation over their diversity programs.
A spokesperson for San Diego State University, which owns KPBS’ license, also declined to answer questions and referred inquiries to the California State University system.
Other community colleges in North County and East County were more reluctant to answer questions too.
In an email, a MiraCosta Community College District spokesperson said they were committed to seeing their students succeed and following state and federal laws. MiraCosta serves most of the coastal cities of North County.
“We will continue serving the community while navigating this evolving legal landscape,” wrote Kristen Gonzales, MiraCosta’s director of public relations.
A spokesperson for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, which serves the southern half of East County, said they were already in compliance with state and federal laws.
Neither spokesperson responded to questions about whether the district would consider dissolving student affinity organizations, canceling graduation ceremonies or making other policy changes.
A spokesperson for Palomar Community College District did not respond to a request for comment.
