Following his inauguration, President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders that will have a major influence over the affairs of colleges and universities across the country. Several of these orders are meant to address promises President Trump campaigned on, like mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and ending funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs to college campuses across the country.
In a one-on-one interview with WSP, Dr. Edward Bonahue, the President of Suffolk County Community College (SCCC), addressed concerns about the recent barrage of executive orders from the White House.
Regarding President Trump’s halt on federal funding for DEI programs, President Bonahue expressed that there was no immediate threat to funding at the college. One of the reasons he gave is the lack of funding SCCC gets from the Federal government, which is limited to student financial aid and grants from federal agencies like the Department of Labor and Department of Education.
Most grants that SCCC students receive have nothing to do with DEI, but are instead for skills like STEM, workforce development, and cybersecurity. President Bonahue did note that some funding coming from the Federal government is sent to state governments, and organizations like SUNY allocate the funds to different schools in their respective states. Unlike President Trump, Governor Kathy Hochul and SUNY have been supportive of DEI measures and have expressed no desire to end that support.
According to Christy Banks, Assistant Director of Campus Activities on the Grant Campus, events celebrating Black History Month and Women’s History Month this semester are expected to go on without any disruption.
If the federal government made it mandatory for all colleges receiving federal financial aid funding to end DEI programs, President Bonahue said New York State would immediately challenge the policy in court. Several executive orders have been halted by the courts, for example, President Trump’s order to pause all federal funding was blocked by a federal judge two weeks ago. This freeze could have affected several grants that go to SCCC, like the Talent Search Program and the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Grant.
While President Bonahue would not rule out a tuition increase for the next fiscal year, he said if there was an increase, it would not have to do with the executive orders and cuts to DEI funding, but due to issues with lower enrollment and high costs of maintaining the college.
Immigration is another issue that President Bonahue addressed concerns over. President Trump has expressed repeatedly his desire to conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Recently, President Trump reversed a policy that disallowed federal immigration and law enforcement officials from arresting and detaining people near schools and churches. Former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman stated “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
President Bonahue said that the college will do whatever it can to protect all students, including students who are undocumented. While President Bonahue could not put a specific number on how many students are undocumented, he stated the number “is in the hundreds.” Several undocumented students can apply for resident rates on their tuition despite not residing in the United States legally. Despite their immigration status, President Bonahue made it clear that they were not going to be treated any differently than students who are here legally.
On January 27th, the college sent out a brief about the recent changes in federal immigration policy. The brief emphasizes that the college does not participate in immigration enforcement and will uphold legal protections for undocumented and international students. It should be noted that the brief makes it clear that the college must follow federal immigration laws and regulations. While ICE and other immigration law enforcement officials will not be allowed in prohibited spaces like classrooms and labs, there is nothing in the brief stating that a student or faculty member can’t be detained on campus outside of these protected spaces. The college does highlight that raids at or near colleges and schools were rare before it was prohibited to do so.
But do not expect the college to give out a student’s immigration status, or Public Safety Officers to ask a student about their immigration status. “The college’s Office of Public Safety is not an agency with authority or jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration law; rather, the function of Public Safety is to support a safe learning and campus environment, and within its capabilities, to contribute to the overall college mission,” the brief states. President Bonahue added clarity, saying: “In order to maintain a safe campus environment, all students must feel comfortable enough to go to Public Safety without the fear of being asked what their immigration status is.”
The college affirms its nondiscrimination policies, safeguards student records, and maintains protocols for handling any immigration enforcement presence on campus. Additionally, the document highlights resources available to immigrant students, including legal aid, community support, and advocacy organizations like the National Immigration Law Center. The brief was sent to all members of the SCCC community and can also be found on the college’s website.
Every year, the Association of Community College Trustees sets up a “Legislative Summit” for trustees to meet their representatives and senators. While President Bonahue has attended the conference in the past, he was not able to attend this year’s summit due to a scheduling conflict. Despite the executive orders and rhetoric coming from President Trump, President Bonahue insisted that the school will do whatever it can to protect students in any particular scenario. “All we can do is watch and react. As for now, things are going to be business as usual.”
