BREAKING NEWS: US Department of Education cuts funding

By Eliya Alvidrez, Sul Ross Skyline Editor 

ALPINE - The US Department of Education will stop funding for many minority serving institutions, a measure that will directly impact Sul Ross State University and possibly result in the termination of staff, President Carlos Hernandez said in a memo distributed late Monday night. 

Hernandez said in his email that the university is “exploring all possible avenues” for remedies, “including appeals, extensions, and other alternatives to help mitigate the impact of the decision.” 

“No final determinations have been made,” he said. “We will notify personnel who will be directly impacted as we continue to assess the situation.” 

It remains unclear whether all funding for programs to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions will be cut. Hernandez said it will at least hit a program to promote postbaccalaureate opportunities for Hispanics, but not one devoted to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

The Trump administration has zeroed in on funding for programs at universities that it views as discriminatory against non-minorities. 

In cancelling $350 million nationwide in grant funding for Hispanic-serving programs, US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon last week cited the “equal protection provisions” under the “due process clause” of the 5th Amendment of the Constitution, which forbids discrimination based on race and racial quotas. 

“The Department looks forward to working with Congress to reenvision these programs to support institutions that serve underprepared or under-resourced students without relying on race quotas and will continue fighting to ensure that students are judged as individuals, not prejudged by their membership of a racial group,” McMahon added in a statement.  

Campuses where the student body is comprised of at least 25 percent Latino students earn the designation of being a Hispanic-Serving Institution. It is unclear whether Sul Ross maintained a high percentage of Hispanic students as a result of quotas or as a result of its location along the border between Texas and Mexico. 

The funding cut will also impact grants to support institutions with a high population of black, and Indigenous students.