DEI practices remain despite ‘Catholic’ rebranding

In August, Notre Dame announced the renaming of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Center to the “Sister Thea Bowman Center,” while Saint Mary’s College followed suit, renaming its Division for Inclusion and Equity to the “Center for Belonging.” Notre Dame’s Office of Institutional Change also rebranded to the “Office of Belonging, Engagement, and Mission” in September. 

All three announcements framed their rebranding as aligning student support services more closely with their Catholic mission and values. 

These changes were announced in the wake of a January executive order by President Donald Trump, which directed federal initiatives to cut DEI-related funding. For years, DEI initiatives  received significant support from federal and institutional funding, spending millions of dollars to grow their programs within different institutions, including colleges and universities.

The White House asserted that prior administrations imposed “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” in the name of DEI, which favored “identity” over students’ merit. Marking a sharp pivot in the federal stance on DEI, the executive orders placed university DEI programs under close scrutiny. Trump’s executive order clarified that it applies to DEI programs “under whatever name they appear.”

Harvard, after a legal dispute with President Trump, renamed its “Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging” in July to the “Office of Community and Campus Life.” Columbia did the same, scrubbing its websites of any DEI language. The University of Pennsylvania changed its Diversity and Inclusion website to “Belonging at Penn,” according to The Daily Pennsylvanian. 

While most universities have rebranded their DEI programs, at least in name, evidence shows that the changes only exist on the surface level. This past summer, a released video clip from the University of Iowa exposed the school’s intention to continue its DEI initiatives under a rebranded guise. “We’re essentially finding ways to operate around [the ban],” one school official said on camera. In addition to the Trump administration, Notre Dame has also faced pressure from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.

The announcements from Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s raise questions about the motive behind the name changes: Are Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s changes truly faith-driven reorientations, or subversive responses to a shifting political movement? 

In an August 27 email to students and faculty, Vice President of Student Affairs Father Gerry Olinger, C.S.C. announced that the DEI office would be renamed the Sister Thea Bowman Center. Fr. Olinger wrote, “Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman was a Black Catholic religious sister, teacher, musician, liturgist, and scholar known for her radiant joy, deep faith, and tireless commitment to unity in Christ.” 

Fr. Olinger continued, “Our hope is that, like Sister Thea Bowman, the Center will serve as a space rooted in faith, connection, and conviction that inspires trust, reverence, and a true sense of belonging among all Notre Dame students for many years to come.” 

The Sister Thea Bowman Center’s website states that it “exists to provide a welcoming environment where students can foster a culture of belonging and engagement at Notre Dame.” The homepage advertises other resources like the Multicultural Student Programs and Services, the Gender Relations Center, the Diversity Council, and PrismND.

Similarly, the Saint Mary’s Division for Belonging Center website states that the new division’s work is grounded in the college’s “Catholic mission and values: learning, community, faith, spiritually, and justice.” 

The new Sister Thea Bowman Center website also features events that are indistinguishable from those held previously by the DEI center. Programming this year includes an LGBTQ & Allies “Welcome Back Picnic,” “Engage and Evade: How Latino Immigrant Families Manage Surveillance in Everyday Life,” and “Past, Present, and Future: Celebrating LGBTQ History at Notre Dame.” 

This programming evokes memories of the “PrideFest Library Lawn Celebration,” “Immigration Week 2025,” and “GlobaLGBTQ+ Film Festival” hosted in previous years by members of today’s Sister Thea Bowman Center.

As in previous years, the Center also co-sponsored Campus Ministry’s race-specific retreats for Asian, Black, and Latino first-year students.

The Sister Thea Bowman Center declined the Rover’s request for an interview, both in person and over email. Saint Mary’s Division for Belonging also declined to comment.

One Notre Dame sophomore worried that the new name would cause confusion. She told the Rover, “When you hear ‘Sister Thea Bowman Center,’ it doesn’t really tell you what the office is for.” She continued, “With DEI in the name, you knew it was tied to diversity and inclusion. Now it feels less clear what the center actually does for students, especially in terms of student support.”

One freshman at Saint Mary’s College, living in McCandless Hall, told the Rover, “It feels like you’re getting stripped away from something that works to bring cultures and communities together.” She continued, “I don’t think it makes sense to change the names when the names were already there to include everyone.”

Other students, however, expressed support for the changes, saying the new names feel more welcoming and less political. A junior at Saint Mary’s College said, “It feels more comforting and freeing in general because it sounds more inviting to many different groups rather than what DEI usually is interpreted as.” 

Faculty members at Notre Dame also offered mixed reactions. Darren Davis, Snyder Family Mission Professor of Political Science, shared a critical perspective on DEI initiatives nationwide, telling the Rover, “In an ideal world, DEI initiatives would not be necessary within universities as it has created the appearance of a lack of merit and intellectual rigor, which has led to divisiveness.” 

When asked about the recent rebranding at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s, Davis admitted to being unaware of the name changes, but praised the decision to name Notre Dame’s center after Sister Thea Bowman. He replied, “There is great merit to acknowledging Sister Thea Bowman in this way. She is in the process of canonization. As a religious sister, teacher, musician, liturgist, and scholar, she made major contributions to the ministry of the Catholic Church. Because of Sister Bowman’s accomplishments and contributions to the Church, I do not see this as political.”

While the center has been renamed, no evidence of deeper changes to programming is present. Recent alumnus and former board member of Democratic-Socialist group SolidarityND, Connor Marrott, told the Rover, “By renaming the center while maintaining its mission, Notre Dame is basically saying DEI is just as Catholic as banning birth control or invoking one of the many ‘religious exemptions’ the university likes to pull out when it’s convenient.” Marrott approves of the change.

Sienna is a freshman from Cleveland, Ohio, studying Secondary Education and English. When she is not catching up on work or doing her readings for classes, you can find her around campus drawing in her sketchbook or iPad. To see her latest artwork or to get in contact, you can reach her at sstephens01@saintmarys.edu.

Photo Credit: Irish Rover

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