Since January, at least 181 colleges have moved to rename, remake or close diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices, a rapid shift driven in part by federal executive actions and state-level pressures, an opinion article documents. Institutions often rebrand DEI functions with terms like 'culture,' 'community' or 'belonging' and assert continuity with prior missions while narrowing operational scope. The changes have immediate operational consequences: staff restructurings, altered hiring practices, and reallocated budgets. Critics warn renaming can meaningfully reduce capacity to address equity and support historically excluded students, as well as affect compliance with federal nondiscrimination obligations. Campus leaders must balance legal risk, donor and alumni reactions, and student expectations; transparent governance processes, clear role definitions for any successor offices and careful communication plans are essential to avoid mission drift and litigation risk.