Colorado State University will be changing some of the college’s websites, shifting employee job duties and making other changes to comply with new federal guidelines from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, students at the campus’ cultural centers are worried about changes to student programs.
In a letter to the campus community Tuesday, CSU president Amy Parsons said the path forward may challenge the campus in different ways.
“For some members of our community, these changes will be disruptive and concerning, and I understand that many individuals feel uncertain,” she wrote. “I ask that we extend grace, dignity and respect to each of our fellow Rams.”
CSU Fort Collins is the first college in Colorado to announce several changes in response to directives from the Trump administration to eliminate programs aimed at fostering diversity, equity and inclusion. Federal officials have threatened to pull federal funding from institutions that continue to offer programs and support. Most Colorado institutions are not shutting down efforts around diversity but are closely monitoring the situation.
The University of Colorado meanwhile, confirmed Wednesday that it is waiting for further guidance before taking action.
A demonstration took place Wednesday at CSU protesting the Trump administration’s recent actions on diversity, equity and inclusion, Parson’s announcement as well as cuts to some student cultural center programs. It drew about 200 people.
While many colleges and universities are waiting for further guidance before acting, CSU’s actions appear to be pre-emptive
On Friday, the federal Department of Education issued an advisory “Dear Colleague” letter to school districts and colleges stating its intention to eradicate race-based scholarships, prizes, financial aid, hiring, admissions, compensation, promotion, administrative support, discipline, housing and graduation ceremonies. It cites a 2023 Supreme Court decision prohibiting using race as a factor in college admissions.
But some legal scholars say there are likely to be challenges to the broad interpretation of a Supreme Court decision once the department begins to enforce the letter. The court has not taken up questions in each of those other contexts.
CSU’s Parsons cited the shifting federal priorities as reflected in the letter and an earlier presidential executive order that calls for abolishing all DEI-affiliated work on campuses.
“It makes it clear that organizations which fail to comply will put their federal funding at risk,” she wrote. “CSU must follow state and federal law.”
About one third of CSU’s overall budget comes from federal funding. Parsons said CSU follows current law and doesn’t use race as a factor in admissions, financial aid, employment or housing, and its cultural centers and identity-based support resources are open to all students. But she said the administration’s interpretation in the law marks a change.
What CSU is changing to comply with executive orders — and how students are reacting
The university will shift some employee job duties and human resources policies and processes, and will make some changes to CSU’s websites to reflect the institution’s compliance with federal guidelines. The university provided no further details.
The decision has angered some at the CSU Fort Collins campus.
A coalition of campus DEIA programs and cultural resource centers accused the university of removing references to “undocumented” from CSU websites and said two programs housed at the university’s cultural centers have been paused.
SafeZone training, which teaches campus staff and students how to fight homophobia and sexism and create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students on campus, has been paused, according to Ella Smith, a student representing the coalition. The program has been offered through the campus’ Pride Resource Center. Smith said that it was a volunteer-run program that is not federally funded.
Smith said a “student dialog” program has also been paused, too. It was aimed at helping students who’ve had a disagreement or helping a student who has engaged in racist behavior to “learn how to have a dialogue with that student to teach them to be better.”
“We are an institution of learning,” said Smith. “People should be learning how to be better people here. That has been fully paused. It is incredibly detrimental to the students.”
The university said “the only action steps we’ve announced are those that were articulated in President Parsons’ message.”
Smith said students are worried about the long term future of CSU’s student cultural centers ranging from the Black/African American Cultural Center to the Student Disability Center and a center to support survivors of sexual assault.
“What has been confirmed is that their capacity has been limited,” said Smith. “They are no longer allowed to really do their jobs in terms of taking care of students' well-being.”
Smith said the centers are open to all students. Smith, as a white student, spends time in the Native American Cultural Center.
“These cultural resource centers offer such valuable resources not only to the students who attend them but to the students who don't and they also just create spaces of belonging within CSU.”
In a statement, the university said CSU is Colorado’s land-grant university, “which means we have always been focused on providing the opportunity of higher education to all – that commitment is steadfast.”
Last week, students marched and delivered a petition with more than 3,000 signatures to show their public support of immigrants on campus asking the university to clarify its position on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents coming onto campus. CSU has launched a website to provide updates on federal actions that may impact the university.
