Wichita State scraps identity-based graduations due to state and federal policy changes
Wichita State University has eliminated its identity-based graduation ceremonies due to recently passed state legislation and the Trump administration’s anti-DEI actions.
As of publication, the university’s Multicultural Graduation and Lavender Graduation descriptions still appear on its website.
Wichita State University in Kansas has eliminated its identity-based graduation ceremonies due to recently passed state legislation and the Trump administration’s anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) actions.
As of publication, the university’s Multicultural Graduation and Lavender Graduation descriptions still appear on its website. However, a university spokesman said in a statement to KWCH that those events have been canceled and replaced with a ceremony that anyone, regardless of identity, can attend, called “The Toast.”
[RELATED: University of Toledo winds down 20+ programs in response to anti-DEI law]
According to the statement, Wichita State, “like many universities, is transitioning to a consolidated celebration for our graduating students in response to recent federal orders, agency guidance, and state legislation.”
“The Toast - a celebratory event scheduled prior to graduation - is open to students of all backgrounds, interests and majors and will offer students an opportunity to express their cultural and academic backgrounds with a selection of cords that can be worn at graduation,” the statement continues.
The “recent federal orders” and “agency guidance” likely refer to a Trump executive order targeting DEI at colleges and universities that receive federal funding, and a follow-up letter from the Department of Education threatening action against schools that failed to comply.
The department’s letter explicitly mentions race-based graduation ceremonies. “In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies and in dormitories and other facilities,” it says.
Last year, Kansas passed H.B. 2105, which limits DEI statements and programs in public higher education.
Similar to Wichita State, other universities have also moved to cancel segregated graduation ceremonies in response to Trump’s executive order and state measures.
The University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville both eliminated identity-based graduation celebrations following the passage of H.B. 4, an anti-DEI state law.
Harvard University, which is currently in a battle with the Trump administration over DEI and anti-Semitism concerns, recently canceled its identity-based graduation ceremonies as well.
Campus Reform has contacted Wichita State University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
