PSC board denies funding for college tour due to DEI rollbacks by Trump administration

Clarification, 02/06/2025: This story was updated to reflect fiscal year amounts for a purchase agreement with Blackbaud. Scholarship information was also updated.

Prairie State College’s board of trustees rejected funding for the TRIO program’s proposed spring break trip at their Jan. 28 meeting as a result of the Trump administration’s rollback on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The federally backed TRIO program is designed to help first generation, disabled and low-income students access higher educational opportunities. Under that umbrella, Prairie State College offers the TRIO Education Talent Search program to encourage local middle and high school students to attend college by sponsoring college visits and mentoring prospects. 

The Talent Search program planned a college tour in Louisiana during spring break in March and requested the board’s approval for a $78,750 contract with GL Travel. However, due to President Trump’s executive order banning DEI initiatives from federal funding, the board voted down the contract. 

The Trump administration announced a freeze on federal dollars of programs that it says are out of line with executive orders, including DEI and support of the transgender community, just days before the PSC board meeting. The decision to cease a college excursion program for under resourced communities underscores the ambiguity regarding what higher education programing could be impacted by the White House.

But the freeze has been met with swift backlash, including a lawsuit from 22 states calling the move unconstitutional. To date, two federal judges have each granted orders temporarily halting the freeze. However, the White House says the freeze is still ongoing, even as it rescinded a vague memo announcing the move.

Vice president of student affairs Bernard Little said nine staff members at the college fear for their jobs after Trump’s executive order. He suggested the board use the funds intended for the TRIO spring break trip to support those staff members if push comes to shove. “There’s so much more to come with this in terms of how these programs are impacted,” Little said.

College president Michael Anthony touched on the new administration’s policies and its impact on students inside and outside the classroom, including the threat of mass deportations and threats to healthcare access. “There are tragic and trying times coming ahead of us, regardless of political leaning,” Anthony said. “These things have a broad effect on our community, and college enrollment is the least of some people’s worries in our community.”

Official business

The board approved additional funding to bolster its welding program. Designed to offer students hands-on experience, the additional $73,712.10 investment will see the addition of more modern equipment in the classroom. 

The board accepted a bid from Stark Security for campus security personnel for a minimum of $292,944 per year. Additionally, it approved a payment to Greatline Communications related to the installation of security cameras across campus for $34,855. 

The board entered into a three-year purchase agreement with a new scholarship and donor management software provider, Blackbaud, to better track the school’s charitable donations and scholarship allocation. The “total annual investment,” according to the agenda, is $35,0.15.44 in the first year, $38,454.75 in the second year, and $42,043.13 in the third year. The Prairie State College foundation will contribute an additional $7,000 annually.

Member reports

Prairie State College Foundation executive director Deborah Smith Havighorst touted donations from 178 individuals, including one for $100,000 and another for $10,000. As of Jan. 28, part of the $100,000 award has been distributed between eight students, for a total of $16,000. The remaining $84,000 will be distributed to other students as they’re identified throughout the year.

Chief financial officer Cathy Svetanoff reported that the college has attained 60 percent of its projected revenue now, about halfway through the fiscal year.