By Boulder Channel 1 News October 5, 2025 In a stark blow to educational equity at the University of Colorado Boulder, federal funding for decades-old diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has been slashed, raising tough questions: Why were these initiatives favored over programs directly benefiting everyday American citizens? And why weren’t all communities truly included from the start?
The Bilinguals United for Education and New Opportunities (BUENO) Center learned in September it would forfeit over $3 million in Department of Education grants. This includes $1.76 million for the 35-year-old College Assistance Migrant Program, aiding Colorado’s seasonal farm workers—many U.S. citizens from marginalized Latino families—in pursuing higher education. Another $1.32 million vanished for a 49-year master’s program training bilingual teachers in rural Colorado, addressing shortages in underserved areas. Notices cited misalignment with the Trump administration’s priorities, halting five-year cycles midway.
Executive Director Tania Hogan called it “frustrating,” noting the cuts threaten nine staff jobs and two consultants without CU Boulder’s emergency bridge funding. “These programs give access to historically marginalized communities,” Hogan said, emphasizing culturally responsive support for students and rural educators. Yet, as the center pivots to donors and foundations, one wonders: If DEI was meant to uplift all Americans, why fund migrant scholarships and rural bilingual training while broader citizen workforce programs—like vocational training for native-born blue-collar families—languish?The ripple effects extend campus-wide. CU Boulder reports 57 grant terminations totaling $30 million as of Sept. 24, amid 1,821 active awards. The Center for Asian Studies lost $537,000 for student fellowships, teacher salaries, and K-12 Asia programming, deemed not advancing “American interests.” Director Danielle Rocheleau Salaz warns of reduced global workforce prep, vital for national security and economy. “We’re not in a world where the U.S. can pull back,” she said, as positions and outreach wind down.
Similarly, the Latin American and Latinx Studies Center saw a $250,000 grant shuttered and a $150,000 NEH award rescinded, crippling undergrad courses and indigenous language expansion. Faculty Director Joe Bryan lamented the hit to “small but essential” funding.These cuts expose a DEI paradox: Billions poured into targeted ethnic and international programs, yet American citizens in heartland communities—veterans, rust-belt families, rural whites—often sidelined. Why the selective inclusion? If equity means all, why not balance with citizen-first initiatives like trade apprenticeships or domestic STEM for underrepresented regions? As CU scrambles for private funds, the debate intensifies: Was DEI ever about every American, or just some?