“Separate but equal”: DOE discourages affinity grad ceremonies

By Jane Park

Sharan Srinivasan, a 2022 Virginia Tech graduate and international student from India, made it a point to attend his affinity graduation with other Asian and Asian American students.

“It felt like home in many ways because I was around people that I could relate to,” Srinivasan said. “It’s not only about recognizing that you’re graduating, but also…being with people that you relate to, that you know, you look like those people, you think like those people, you share so many similar kind of cultural nuances.”

Srinvisasan is one of countless students in the U.S. who have taken part in their affinity graduation ceremonies. They are seen as a hub for celebrating community, identity and achievements — or at least that’s the intention. For President Donald Trump’s Department of Education, these ceremonies are a modern endorsement of “separate but equal.”

Last month, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the Dear Colleague Letter: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in Light of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard to clarify universities’ commitments in accordance with Title VI in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The letter reaffirmed that race-based admission practices are illegal per the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. 

But it also criticized a cherished tradition for marginalized students: “In a shameful echo of a darker period in this country’s history, many American schools and universities even encourage segregation by race at graduation ceremonies and in dormitories and other facilities.”

Any institutions that do not comply with civil rights laws risk losing federal funding, the letter concluded.

Two weeks later, OCR eased on its stances in a follow-up question-and-answer document that acknowledged potential questions from the letter.

But it doubled down that universities cannot engage in programming, graduation ceremonies or any other aspect of school life that separates students, faculty or staff based on race.

“…School-sponsored or school-endorsed racially segregated aspects of student, academic, and campus life, such as programming, graduation ceremonies, and housing, are legally indefensible under the same ‘separate but equal’ rationale that the Court rejected in Brown (v. Board of Education),” OCR said in the document.

For many AAPI college graduates, affinity ceremonies are a last pit stop in saying goodbye to their first experience of self-discovery and independence before starting the next chapter.

Athena Lao, a 2012 Harvard graduate and president of its Asian American Alumni Alliance, decided to attend her affinity graduation ceremony because being Asian American was not as embraced then.

“It wasn’t something that people I think talked as much about,” Lao said. “At least on campus unless you were super involved in ethnic studies (and) organizing like I was, or in these spaces that were more explicitly political…being able to organize something that’s around the positive parts of that identity, the fact that you can just come together in community with other people and celebrate something as joyous as graduating together, I thought that was really beautiful.”

Lao also helped organize the ceremony for her year and from the previous year. At the time, the planning was largely student-led without financial support from the school.

When designing the stoles, student organizers wanted to add a symbol that resonated with various Asian ethnic groups while dispelling the myth that the larger community is monolithic. They chose the lotus flower.

In more recent years, planning for affinity ceremonies has become more centralized by universities. But students have still been involved in some capacities.

Srinivasan, the Virginia Tech student we introduced you to at the top of this story, worked at the APIDA + Center, then known as the Asian Cultural Engagement Center, for almost a year and a half. As a graduate programming assistant, the alum was involved in planning many of the center’s events tailored for the AAPI (or APIDA) population, including the achievement ceremonies for graduating students.

He especially valued the ceremonies as an international student. Being far away from home, Srinivasan often sought community among other similar students at the APIDA + Center and the ceremony.

As an undergraduate, Srinivasan did not have a graduation ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So when it was time for Srinivasan to organize his ceremony for his master’s degree, which was also his last day at the Center, he wanted to ensure it was memorable.

“It was nice to be on the other side because I think I’d spent most of my time at the Center organizing events, so it was nice to be a part of one of those events for a change like as someone who is on the receiving end of it,” Srinivasan said. “I think one of my memorable moments is having my parents there (at) that ceremony.”

AsAmNews reached out to Virginia Tech to inquire whether any changes would be made to hosting affinity graduation ceremonies. A university spokesperson responded in an email that the administration is still evaluating.

Srinivasan said he would be disappointed if Virginia Tech decided to discontinue any ceremonies. Not only do the ceremonies feel rewarding, but they feel more intimate because students are surrounded by familiar faces.

“Because having (been) someone who has gone through that, I definitely have a deeper connect with my cultural center’s achievement ceremony as opposed to a (larger) university graduation ceremony,” Srinivasan said.

Lao also said she wasn’t sure of the future of affinity ceremonies at Harvard. The Asian American Alumni Alliance did not get word on what the university has decided.

Harvard did not respond to AsAmNews’ inquiry about the status of the ceremonies.

With affinity ceremonies in question and universities deliberating, soon-to-be graduates still hope for a chance to attend and celebrate.

Randy Soriano is a senior studying psychology and political science at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and is vice president of Asian American & Pacific Islander Affinity. The student organization is involved in planning for the affinity ceremony for AAPI students, along with department heads, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and You First at VCU, a department that supports first-generation college students.

Soriano also said he has not heard of any changes, and planning for the affinity ceremonies are proceeding as usual.

The university also did not immediately respond to AsAmNews’ inquiry about the status of the ceremonies.

“It would suck because literally all the planning going into it, like I designed a stole, and then all of our team contributed to making this work,” Soriano said. “And not just that. It makes me afraid of what further can they do? Like, it’s kind of like the first couple steps of just getting rid of DEI completely from our institutions.”

This is not the first time the Trump administration has pushed anti-DEI guidelines, but rather a larger shift in policy and values both within higher education and the workplace.

Soriano saw parallels between affirmative action and affinity graduations.

“And the the argument is that like, they want to have (it) merit based, like if you’re applying for a job,” Soriano said. “They want it to be merit based, and it is. But the point is to open up a pool, a bigger pool of people to being able to be hired for a job. And also, like, in the same way we celebrate, we want everyone to be celebrated, not just feeling like the majority is celebrated when we’re all together.”

Srinivasan also did not understand how Virginia Tech’s achievement ceremonies would violate the law. According to the former employee, the purpose of a cultural center is to ensure and continue improving representation for students. The ceremonies were one way of accomplishing this.

He also added that everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, were welcome and invited to attend events, including the achievement ceremony.

For Lao, she understood the Department of Education’s motivations in wanting to prioritize student wellbeing but felt its actions did not align with that inclination.

“People are responding to fear, and doing things that way is not American,” Lao said. “And I won’t stand for it, and it’s also against the way we do things in higher education, so let’s get back to open conversations about what’s actually going on, understanding that we’re building spaces for joy and student safety. Let’s bring nuance back.”