When Donald Trump was inaugurated as the United States’ 47th president on Jan. 20, it marked the beginning of a period of upheaval in the federal government. Trump signed 26 executive orders on his first day in office, with the total rising to 37 in the first week – not counting various pardons, memorandums, and proclamations, as well as the actions of other members of his administration.
One such memo that many college students noticed was released on Jan. 27, with Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, instructing agencies to pause all federal financial assistance.
The memo excluded Social Security and Medicare from its scope, but the status of federal student aid was not made clear. While the Department of Education later clarified that the pause (which was later rescinded) did not apply to student aid, there was confusion at first regarding what it did and didn’t affect.
“It was very concerning when that memo hit,” said Karen Smith, senior policy advisor and general counsel for the Oregon Community College Association. “We had several colleges that experienced an inability to access some of their federal grant funds. Thankfully, it was overturned pretty quickly … That was certainly a day of a lot of anxiety.”
However, the initial reach of the memo sparked questions about just how much federal changes from the Trump administration could affect students at LBCC.
On the topic of federal student aid, Smith remained confident in its security despite the January scare: “There will be some changes that come from the federal government around federally-funded grants and contracts in particular, and we have to be prepared for that. But my belief is that student financial aid will not be part of those programs that are under review at this point.”
Federal aid wasn’t the only entity addressed by the Trump administration, with the president releasing executive orders relating to gender and sex, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs, and illegal immigration, among others.
In Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” section 2f, the Trump administration argues that “gender ideology” erases the “biological category of sex,” replacing it with the idea that “males can identify as and thus become women and vice versa, and require all institutions of society to regard this false claim as true.”
LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD says these terms change an immutable characteristic of a person into politics.
“We have protections in Oregon law that are different,” said Smith, regarding the order. “I think that’s one area where we’re certainly watching closely and looking at it for reporting purposes – what are we required to report to the federal government versus the state government, and where there might be conflicts.”
Order 14201, “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports,” aims to ban transgender women and girls from competing in sports at any institution that receives federal funding.
LBCC’s athletic conference, the NWAC, allows the participation of transgender student-athletes in its 2024-25 rulebook, which states: “A transgender male (female to male) student-athlete who has received a medical exception for treatment with testosterone for gender transition may compete on a men’s team but is no longer eligible to compete on a women’s team. … A transgender female (male to female) student-athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication for gender transition may continue to compete on a men’s team but may not compete on a women’s team until completing one calendar year of documented testosterone-suppression treatment.”
NWAC Executive Director Marco Azurdia told The Commuter that the conference is not currently expected to change its policy, although it will continue to monitor the executive order and its effects.
Previously, the NCAA, which governs athletics at four-year colleges and universities, had followed a sport-by-sport approach to transgender participation, first instituted in 2022. The ruling lined up with the Olympics’ policy at the time, requiring athletes to document “sport-specific testosterone levels” at different points in the season for eligibility.
Trump’s new executive order applies to school children and teens all the way to college sports, citing his interpretation of Title IX. The NCAA no longer allows trans women to compete on women’s teams.
In Order 14151, “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing,” the Trump administration states that any federal program or position deemed to be related to DEI, DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility), or environmental justice can and will be dissolved.
However, a U.S. district judge largely blocked this order on Feb. 21, deeming it unconstitutional.
“U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson said that the government could not freeze or cancel ‘equity-related’ contracts, nor could it require recipients of grants to certify that their programs do not promote DEI,” reported CNN.
Trump also issued Order 14173, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” Section 4 of the order, titled “Encouraging the Private Sector to End Illegal DEI Discrimination and Preferences,” mentions “potential civil compliance investigations” for corporations with over $500 million in assets and non-profits, medical associations, and colleges/universities with endowments of $1 billion or more. The order aims to develop strategies to “encourage” the private sector to comply with the federal government’s stance on DEI.
Following the order, the Department of Education’s Craig Trainor sent a letter on Feb. 14 that stated that college practices considering race in processes such as admissions and financial aid were “pervasive and repugnant” forms of “racial discrimination.”
“There’s no clear definition of what diversity, equity and inclusion includes, or how it’s defined,” said OCCA’s Smith. “Certainly, colleges are looking at those programs and making sure that we will certainly always comply.”
Order 14173 specifically should not apply to LBCC, but it could affect Oregon State University. The Albany Democrat-Herald reported in February that although temporary court injunctions had “halted” most potential effects on funding, the status of the university’s many research projects remains uncertain.
There’s been a lot of new information, and many of the orders have been challenged in court.
“I think with a lot of these we try to take a wait-and-see approach and just make sure we’re understanding everything,” said Matt Scotton, LBCC’s public information officer. “Our main goal with the uncertainty is to make sure that we’re keeping our students informed of how they’re being affected by this.”
“To my knowledge, nothing has concretely changed,” said Scotton when asked if any of the executive orders have directly changed something at LBCC.
“LBCC is, and remains, in full compliance with state and federal laws,” wrote LBCC President Lisa Avery in a Feb. 27 email. “Our open access foundation, coupled with our theme of providing Education for All, leaves LBCC in good standing legally and politically.”
Oregon hasn’t voted for the Republican candidate in a presidential election since Ronald Reagan, and the state’s staunchly blue politics could limit the Trump administration’s reach.
“I think we’re fortunate to live in a state that has very strong laws around discrimination and equity and the protection of undocumented individuals, some of whom are attending our institutions,” said Smith. “We have a very strong sanctuary promise law in Oregon that’s been on the books since 1987 so I think we’re probably in a better position because of that.”
Smith said that executive orders that contain vague definitions, such as the word “woke,” make them susceptible to lawsuits due to interpretation. She added that many orders are directed at the secretary of state or the attorney general rather than specific institutions, making community colleges harder to immediately affect.
“[The executive orders] can direct the secretary to make recommendations, but a lot of the funding and other programs, especially those in the Department of Education, are created by Congress through law or regulation,” said Smith. “We have processes that have to be gone through in order to change those, either by Congress passing another law or the department engaging in regulatory rule-making.”
“When you look at those executive orders, you have to read beyond the headline.”
Still, both Smith and Scotton said that the OCCA and LBCC are closely monitoring the rapidly-changing legal landscape.
Scotton said he continues to work closely with school officials, state agencies, and community partners to properly communicate to students any important information.
“I don’t know that there’s necessarily fear, but just wait and see what happens,” he said. “At the end of the day, our mission is to continue providing education for all – that means everybody in our community, and we want to keep that affordable and accessible to everyone.”
This article originally appeared in the March 2025 edition of The Commuter.
