Statement of Principles of Legal Compliance with Issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

California Health Sciences University (CHSU) was established in 2012 with a mission dedicated to advancing the healthcare available to the Central Valley community and reducing the region’s healthcare disparities.  The University is committed to compliance with legal requirements at the federal, state, and local levels.  Through recent Executive Orders, the federal government has taken the position that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are discriminatory and in violation of the civil rights laws.  The President has charged the Department of Education, Department of Justice, and other executive branch departments with responsibility for taking steps to:

“enforce our longstanding civil-rights laws and to combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.”[1]

In its statements, the government points to the Supreme Court precedent in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College[2] case, which decided that the use of race as a factor in college admissions violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as providing the basis for its determination that DEI is illegal. 

CHSU’s accreditors – the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) until recently had standards and requirements in place concerning DEI.  However, on May 20, 2025, WSCUC announced a “stay” of “requirements in its standards that reference diversity, equity and inclusion.”  Similarly, on April 16, 2025, the AOA COCA voted to suspend enforcement of standards and elements related to DEI until May 1, 2026.

CHSU is now in the process of reviewing and updating its strategic plan, policies, procedures, and documents to comply with legal requirements.  Until these are updated, all policies and practices involving DEI are paused and the following rules of interpretation are controlling:

1. CHSU policies shall not be interpreted as permitting the consideration of race, national origin, religion, ethnicity or other protected classification in the admission, recruitment, or employment processes.
2. CHSU has long embraced the diversity of the Central Valley community as a strength.  Through student organizations and committees, CHSU has celebrated and welcomed the different groups represented by current students.  Guidance from the Department of Education indicates that such organizations and events are appropriate, provided that all groups are able to participate in the activities and that activities that are open to all do not create a hostile environment for some groups on campus.[3]  Therefore, such groups and events will continue and CHSU staff will ensure that the events are open and welcoming to the entire CHSU community. 
3. A recent court decision indicates that the federal government’s bans and prohibitions on uses and instances of DEI within the University beyond the admissions and employment contexts may be improper under the Constitution.  That issue is currently being reviewed in the courts.[4]  Until such time as the courts decide the legality of the government’s prohibition of DEI mandates, policies, programs, and activities, CHSU is suspending aspects of its Strategic Plan related to DEI. 

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[1] Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, Executive Order 11246 (Jan. 22, 2025).

[2] 600 U.S. 181 (2023).

[3] Frequently Asked Questions About Racial Preferences and Stereotypes Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, U.S. Department of Education – Office for Civil Rights, Question/Answer No. 8 (Feb. 28, 2025).

[4] National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, Case No. 1:25-cv-00333-ABA