After President Donald Trump’s threat in February that academic institutions must eliminate their diversity initiatives or face cuts to their federal funding, USC reacted by reviewing its diversity, equity and inclusion policies and changing multiple aspects of its DEI-related approach. These shifts have included scrubbing mentions of diversity and inclusion off of some University websites, replacing its Unifying Values of DEI with “community” and merging the Office of Inclusion and Diversity with the Culture team. 

From these actions, it’s clear that the fate of DEI programs on campus is at the very least up in the air, if not at the risk of completely disappearing. 

While DEI can have wide-ranging benefits for campus culture, one aspect of campus life where maintaining DEI is especially important is in the area of student health, considering how DEI can improve healthcare providers’ ability to combat biases and health inequities.

The Daily Trojan reached out to the University for a statement about what USC is currently doing to support the health of students of various backgrounds and identities. In its statement, Student Health specified some of its policies to make quality student healthcare accessible, such as the Student Health Insurance Plan being optimized for college students and USC healthcare clinicians receiving “training on holistic patient care topics, including Trauma-Informed Care, [Adverse Childhood Experiences] Aware, the [Collaboration, Affirmation, Respect, Empathy and Support] Model, and more.” 

The Daily Trojan Spring 2025 Editorial Board acknowledges the University’s current efforts to serve the health of students. However, especially under the changing DEI atmosphere, the University must do more to ensure that all students across its diverse student body can access adequate and equitable healthcare. 

Health inequities tend to particularly harm those from marginalized groups, including LGBTQIA+ people, women, people of color and lower-income individuals. Accordingly, without maintaining and prioritizing DEI, the University might be putting these individuals at an even higher risk of suffering from insufficient healthcare treatment than they already tend to receive. For these reasons, our focus is on the healthcare experiences of each of these groups and what USC must do to promote the health of students within these demographics. 

LGBTQIA+

The University has an extensive and diverse healthcare infrastructure in place specifically for LGBTQIA+ students. Student Health and Keck Medicine of USC have compiled dedicated resource hubs with designated support systems and information, with Keck even being named an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader in 2024 by the Human Rights Campaign.

However, following the issue of numerous executive orders from Trump, LGBTQIA+ people all over the nation instantly feared for their access to not only equitable but also suitable and personalized healthcare. 

According to the USC Student Wellbeing Index Survey, around 20% of USC’s students are among the LGBTQIA+ people residing within the United States that will be directly affected by policy that Trump continues to wield recklessly — policy that, if enacted, could lead to significantly less health programming, medical protection in policy, accurate data collection and nondiscriminatory standards for LGBTQIA+ patients.

As the University “evaluates relevant executive orders,” LGBTQIA+ students can’t help but wonder if USC “staying true to [its] mission” will take precedence over ensuring that its students have access to personalized healthcare that is “in compliance with the law.”

The University is obligated to comply with federal law; however, it is also obligated to protect all of its students, including those within the LGBTQIA+ community. If USC-provided accessible LGBTQIA+ resources phase out, regardless of whether or not the University paints their removal as a premeditated attempt at consolidation or collaboration, students will have every right to demand equitable healthcare from a school they’re paying six figures to attend.

Should rigid, unmediated compliance with individually issued policy take precedence over student health and safety, USC will show its cards and reveal where its loyalties lie: in the pockets of the government.

Women

USC automatically enrolls all students taking six or more units in its Student Health Insurance Plan. Student Health has certain processes put in place to provide healthcare to those identifying as women, who make up a significant part of the student body. The majority of these services are related to sexual health with an aim of promoting bodily autonomy. 

Aetna, the student healthcare plan, covers a long-term contraceptive — a long-acting reversible contraceptive option. Students can make an appointment on MySHR to have such a device, which includes both IUDs and implants, installed. The portal also allows students to schedule pregnancy testing appointments, which the website states is a requirement prior to inserting contraceptive devices and other medical procedures.  

MySHR provides information about external sources of contraception and ways to seek sexual healthcare. In California, abortion remains a protected medical treatment by the state, and Student Health provides abortion as a service through the Student Health Insurance Plan, which is provided by Aetna. The plan also has a travel benefit for those students outside California who need to travel within 100 miles to receive an abortion service. 

For pregnant students, Student Health offers prenatal care through visits, gynecology specialists and delivery options. For those under the Aetna plan, Keck Medicine is partnered with maternity care services at USC Arcadia Hospital. For those at the University Park Campus, PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital is a closer option that provides maternity care. While these options are available for students under both the SHIP plan, St. John’s Community Health is a women’s clinic that offers prenatal services to those who are not on the plan. 

While these resources are available, the awareness about them is not necessarily widespread, in terms of communications. Student Health should do a better job of informing the students about the availability of its resources. When students are enrolled in the plan, they should specifically be informed about all the services offered, and students who aren’t on the plan should be connected with external resources that offer similar procedures. Student Health could also connect with Recognized Student Organizations and promote their services in the USC Student Life’s “We are SC” newsletter to increase visibility. 

People of Color

With almost three out of every four USC students identifying as non-white, people of color are the majority on campus. The University’s health services adequately address this statistic, as the school provides interpreter services for non-English speaking students receiving healthcare. 

In today’s rapidly changing social and political climate, though, the current state of Keck is the exception, not the norm. 

Moreover, given Trump’s recent executive orders, the number of healthcare professionals of color is expected to decrease. For a demographic historically discriminated against in the medical field, DEI programs are one of the only hopes for these individuals to get a fair chance. 

But while DEI was a step in the right direction, it was far from a permanent solution. The representation of ethnic minorities in both healthcare professions and academic health programs has actually decreased in the 21st century due to changes in the U.S.’s demographics. 

USC’s compliance with these executive orders will only exacerbate this negative trend, as a decrease in the number of Keck students of color would also lower the number of healthcare professionals of color.

When receiving healthcare of any kind, whether it be physical or mental, it is crucial for patients to be treated by a professional who sympathizes with their cultural and racial identity. Erasing DEI will not only reduce the presence of people of color in the medical workforce but also the ability for people of color to receive empathetic and fair treatment without it being jeopardized by their racial identity.

Low-income students

It is critical that USC maintains and expands its commitment to ensuring lower-income individuals can receive effective healthcare. While Student Health’s current values align with this mission, it is important to demand the retention of these programs in the current political era and press for further accessibility. 

The Student Health fee that is included as part of the cost of attendance allows USC students to have easy access to quick medical appointments, counseling and other needs without having to worry about co-pays or insurance. This provides an extremely beneficial service to low-income students, who often may not have access to quality health care insurance. 

However, this does not exist without its issues; while the student health program is effective at catering to the short-term needs of students, the long-term needs of many are still in question. Even though students can access programs such as short-term counseling or psychiatry through the student health fee, they may still end up needing longer or more extensive treatments to sustain their care, which can be costlier under the Student Health Insurance Plan. 

Expanding the scope of the Student Health fee to allow for exceptions for those who cannot afford other plans would be beneficial to protect those oftentimes most in need of healthcare services. The University must remain firm in its commitment to making care accessible for students of all economic backgrounds despite the threat of university funding cuts around the country. 

While acknowledging the protections the University has in place for these groups, we still must hold healthcare providers accountable by ensuring they go the extra mile to treat all student patients equitably, even in this period of uncertainty. The Daily Trojan Spring 2025 Editorial Board strongly maintains that protecting all students who may be at risk is essential, and these students must be able to have the knowledge that their healthcare will continue to be safeguarded.