Sofia Cantú Sauceda 
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER
On Aug. 22, the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump’s administration announced it will support the lawsuit against the Developing Hispanic Serving Institution program (DHSI), claiming it is unconstitutional.
The DHSI is established to “provide grants to assist Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students,” according to Title V of the Higher Education Act.
Mark Kaswan, a professor of political science at UTRGV, said the program is an “attempt to address a lack of investment by the state, by the federal government.”
“It’s also a way of addressing low enrollment rates by people from the Hispanic community,” Kaswan said.
The decision of not defending HSI arises from a June 11 lawsuit, The State of Tennessee and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Education that claims the program has “discriminatory criteria” and “does not pursue the general welfare.”
The program provides approximately $350 million annually to colleges and universities where at least 25% of undergraduate students identify as Hispanic.
The grants can be used for scientific or lab equipment, construction or renovation of facilities, faculty, purchase of educational materials, tutoring or counseling programs, funds and administrative management, endowment funds, distance learning, teacher education and student support services.
In Fall 2024, UTRGV had an enrollment profile of 91% Hispanic, making it eligible for HSI funds, according to a UTRGV enrollment profile.
Kaswan said a short-term impact is that “universities like UTRGV could have a significant cut in their funding.”
“Funding for scholarships, funding for student aid might disappear,” he said. “It could be a significant hit to UTRGV.”
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities posted a statement on Aug. 25 to its website.
“Ending HSI program grants supporting institutions would cut off vital resources, not only for HSIs but for other programs that serve a large proportion of first-generation, low-income, and other historically underrepresented college students,” said in the statement David Mendez, the HACU Interim Chief Executive Officer.
The statement also mentions that HACU does not advocate for “preferential treatment but rather equitable funding” and there are over 600 Hispanic-Serving Institutions that educate over 5.6 million students and “ensure our nation’s future success.”
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