SLU doubles down on DEI: Oath of Inclusion, mandatory training persists despite executive order
While private, SLU still accepts federal student aid and grant money, yet enforces an 'Oath of Inclusion' for all campus members.
Despite federal limitations on DEI programming , SLU requires DEI training and pledges from faculty, staff, and students.
Saint Louis University in Missouri (SLU) will require all students, faculty, and staff to commit to its Oath of Inclusion and complete university-mandated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training, even as President Trump’s Executive Order 14151 seeks to curtail DEI programs at institutions that receive federal support.
SLU, though private, accepts federal grants and student-aid funds, raising questions about its compliance and obligations.
SLU’s Oath of Inclusion, developed as a student initiative in 2009, declares that each “Billiken” will “embrace people for the diversity of their identities … create a community inclusive of race, ethnicity, sex, age, ability, faith, orientation, gender, class and ideology” and “work for social justice” both on campus and in the surrounding area.
The Oath is publicly housed on the university’s diversity website for all community members.
[RELATED: WashU scrubs DEI language from websites as federal scrutiny mounts]
In parallel, SLU’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Education and Training program offers multiple levels of training, covering topics such as implicit bias, cultural humility, anti-racism, LGBTQ+ fundamentals, and applying those concepts to mentoring and decision-making.
SLU also maintains a broader Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement, which runs programming, resources (including DACA support), and partnerships aimed at cultivating an inclusive campus environment.
Meanwhile, on the federal side, E.O. 14151 (signed on Jan. 20) seeks to end “all discriminatory programs … relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” across federal agencies, to terminate equity-related grants and contracts, and to eliminate DEI offices and personnel.
Its companion, E.O. 14173, rescinds E.O. 11246 (which mandates affirmative action for federal contractors) and requires federal contractors and grantees to certify they don’t run DEI programs that violate discrimination law.
Legal guidance from Lawyers Alliance for New York emphasizes that while the executive orders do not override existing civil rights statutes, such as Title VII, they introduce compliance risks for federal funding recipients who maintain DEI policies or training labeled as “preferencing.”
Courts have already issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of key contract cancellation or certification aspects of the orders.
Campus Reform has contacted Saint Louis University. This article will be updated accordingly.
