Latest news with #CampusReform
Fox News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Emily Sturge: Graduation Ceremonies Are Meant To Bring Students Together, Not Segregate Them
Campus Reform Reporter Emily Sturge joins Fox Across Ameria With guest host Jason Chaffetz to shed light on how certain universities throughout the U.S. have decided to hold segregated graduation ceremonies for students. 'So we've reported at UC Davis and also at Franklin and Marshall College, they're holding separate graduation ceremonies to honor Black students. We've also seen, even in my home state of Florida, graduation ceremonies at some of our major universities for LGBTQ students. The bottom line here is graduation is supposed to be a ceremony that brings everybody together to celebrate accomplishments of hard work, four years of success. And instead the education system is turning these ceremonies that are supposed to be about merit and they're making it about skin color. This is not what our ceremonies are supposed to be able. And I was lucky enough to walk in my own graduation ceremony with all of my peers. It wasn't divided based on skin color. So I feel for those students who are put in this situation, who are divided by skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or even in these illegal immigration ceremonies, students are even divided whether they're a law-abiding citizen or here breaking the law. It's very sad to see.' Emily Sturge: Students Aren't Learning How To Think Anymore Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation!
Fox News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump's crackdown on Harvard, 'woke' colleges will take more than 100 days to leave lasting reform: professor
The first 100 days of the Trump administration have made higher education institutions a central front in its broader battle against "woke" policies and discriminatory practices linked to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. As both federal funding and immigration enforcement tools are being wielded, universities are feeling unprecedented pressure to reform or face serious consequences. "The Trump administration is going after the sources of funding that enable the DEI industrial complex," Cornell University Professor William Jacobson told Fox News Digital. President Donald Trump shut down all DEI offices across the federal government during his first week in office and signed a number of executive orders to quickly undo former President Joe Biden's efforts. One of the administration's key strategies involves using federal funding as leverage. Institutions like Harvard University have already seen billions of dollars in grants put on notice. Jacobson said that many universities are in "a state of denial," hoping they can "rope-a-dope" their way through the Trump presidency without making substantive changes. Emily Sturge, a University of Florida student and Campus Reform reporter, echoed Jacobson's concerns about cosmetic changes by universities. "We do see universities trying to rebrand, trying to sweep it under the rug," she said. Fox News Digital previously reported that universities like Northeastern University and North Carolina State University have rebranded DEI offices as "Belonging" or "Inclusive Excellence" centers while keeping many of the same initiatives intact. Defending Education, formerly known as Parents Defending Education, found that there are still 383 "currently active" DEI offices and programs, with 243 universities maintaining institution-wide DEI offices or programming. Along with executive orders targeting DEI offices, Trump also rescinded Biden's order on diversity initiatives, "Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government," which he signed on his first day in office in 2021. In February, the Department of Education also warned state education departments that they must remove DEI policies or risk losing federal funding. Harvard, which Jacobson notes has systematically purged conservative, pro-capitalist, and pro-Israel voices from its faculty, faces intense scrutiny over alleged discriminatory practices in hiring and admissions. "Higher education, particularly at the so-called elite level, has really dug themselves a hole," he said. Jacobson said that it is "extremely difficult" to get hired in the humanities and social sciences if you have "anything conservative, pro-Israel, or pro-capitalist" on your resume. "Their independence has resulted in a system which has perverted the notion of education. It has turned it into ideological indoctrination," he said. The Trump administration is also cracking down on sanctuary campuses and universities that protect anti-Israel protests. Former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil was the administration's first international student arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for leading anti-Israel protests. The legal permanent U.S. resident, originally from Syria, was accused of lying on his visa application and failing to disclose his membership in an anti-Israel organization. A federal judge in Louisiana ruled that Khalil can be deported from the U.S. due to his involvement in leading last year's pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia. Mohsen Mahdawi, another pro-Palestinian Columbia student protester, was detained by federal immigration authorities in Vermont. Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University, was detained by ICE agents in March. Her visa had been revoked due to alleged involvement in pro-Palestinian protests. She is currently awaiting deportation proceedings. Harvard has become a target of Trump's broader crackdown on universities, much of which is in response to last year's anti-Israel unrest that erupted on campuses across the country. On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard University President Alan Garber and Harvard Corporation Lead Member Penny Pritzker outlining the institution's failures and a list of demands from the White House. In the letter, the administration accused Harvard of failing to uphold civil rights laws and to foster an "environment that produces intellectual creativity." The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership, as well as its hiring and admissions practices by August 2025. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid admitting students who are "hostile" to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism. Harvard refused to comply with the demands, with Garber saying that "no government… should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and areas of study and inquiry they can pursue." The university later filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its "unlawful" freezing of funds. Trump fired back, calling the Ivy League institution "a liberal mess." "Harvard is an [antisemitic], far-left institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the world that want to rip our country apart. The place is a liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Harvard is a threat to democracy…" Despite early victories by the administration in its crackdown on campus DEI, Jacobson warned that reforming higher education is a marathon, not a sprint. "This is going to take more than 100 days," he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Harvard for comment.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Massachusetts university promotes DEI and illegal immigration despite Trump admin executive orders
A public university in Salem, Massachusetts, has signaled support for various controversial topics challenged in Trump administration executive orders in recent weeks, including illegal immigrant student protection and gender identity, according to multiple emails shared with students in the days following President Donald Trump's inauguration. fSalem State University (SSU) Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Christopher Macdonald-Dennis emailed the student body two days after Trump took office about "Moving Forward Together" given the changes in Washington, D.C., according to an exclusive report in Campus Reform. "While the unknown can be quite unsettling, please know that we remain there for each of our community members regardless of their identity," the official wrote. "Whatever is happening outside of our campus, we remain committed to the principles of inclusion and belonging here at Salem State." Democrats Try To Enter Department Of Education Amid Outrage Over Possible Doge Cuts Macdonald-Dennis also said that Salem State would "partner with our state university sister schools" and monitor how the Trump administration's new executive orders would impact the university. In another email obtained by Campus Reform, SSU General Counsel Rita Colucci discussed school policies relating to law enforcement and immigration law in a Jan. 29 email to students. Read On The Fox News App "Salem State University (SSU) is committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for our students, faculty and staff," she wrote. "We understand the latest news and social media chatter on the Executive Order signed by President Trump have raised questions about how SSU protects our community. This is especially true regarding privacy and interactions with external authorities such as law enforcement or immigration facilities." Trump Education Dept Launches Probe Into 'Explosion Of Antisemitism' At 5 Universities Colucci's message instructed students on what they should do if they are approached by "unfamiliar law enforcement personnel on campus," explaining they should decline any questions they might ask. She then reminded them that "University police do not have the authority to enforce civil immigration law," adding that they won't stop or detain individuals for the purpose of enforcing civil immigration matters like documentation status, ask about a person's immigration status unless it is related to a criminal offense, arrest or detain an individual and hold or transfer people to federal immigration agents without a warrant for arrest. The message also directed students to "helpful" immigration resources like the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the National Immigration Law Center, United We Dream and Greater Boston Legal Services. When reached for comment, Salem State University spokesperson Corey Cronin said the university remains committed to its mission and core values as they strive to serve all students. "We will follow Federal and Massachusetts laws as they apply to our campus," Cronin said. "We are collaborating with our sister state universities and are awaiting further guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Additional resources provided to SSU students and obtained by Campus Reform include official "Know Your Rights" guidelines for interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as other "Immigration Resources" and "Gender, Sexuality and Reproductive Health Resources." Department Of Education Doled Out Over $200M To Universities To Inject Dei Into Counseling Courses Report A "LGBTQIAP+ Awareness & Authentic Allyship" PowerPoint obtained by Campus Reform defines lesbian, gay, bisexual/biromatic, transgender, queer and questioning sexual orientations, as well as other terms like "allosexism," "androgyne," "biphobia," "cisnormativity" and "heteronormitivity." The slideshow provides various examples and renditions of LGBT flags, including the "neutrois," "polyamorous," "pony," "twink," "two-spirit" and "ally" flags. Various challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, according to the slideshow, are also discussed, including discrimination & violence and heteronormativity in which "Oversaturation of heteronormative perspectives in the media, education, medical field, and policies" pose difficulty. "Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia can be more pronounced in certain regions and against specific subgroups within the LGBTQ+ community," the slideshow reads. "Many intentionally move away from using terms like 'transphobic,' 'homophobic,' and 'biphobic' because they inaccurately describe systems of oppression as irrational fears." During his first hours in office, Trump issued a slew of executive orders that targeted federal diversity and transgender initiatives, including clarification that it is government policy to recognize just two sexes, male and article source: Massachusetts university promotes DEI and illegal immigration despite Trump admin executive orders
Fox News
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Massachusetts university promotes DEI and illegal immigration despite Trump admin executive orders
A public university in Salem, Massachusetts, has signaled support for various controversial topics challenged in Trump administration executive orders in recent weeks, including illegal immigrant student protection and gender identity, according to multiple emails shared with students in the days following President Donald Trump's inauguration. fSalem State University (SSU) Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Christopher Macdonald-Dennis emailed the student body two days after Trump took office about "Moving Forward Together" given the changes in Washington, D.C., according to an exclusive report in Campus Reform. "While the unknown can be quite unsettling, please know that we remain there for each of our community members regardless of their identity," the official wrote. "Whatever is happening outside of our campus, we remain committed to the principles of inclusion and belonging here at Salem State." Macdonald-Dennis also said that Salem State would "partner with our state university sister schools" and monitor how the Trump administration's new executive orders would impact the university. In another email obtained by Campus Reform, SSU General Counsel Rita Colucci discussed school policies relating to law enforcement and immigration law in a Jan. 29 email to students. "Salem State University (SSU) is committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for our students, faculty and staff," she wrote. "We understand the latest news and social media chatter on the Executive Order signed by President Trump have raised questions about how SSU protects our community. This is especially true regarding privacy and interactions with external authorities such as law enforcement or immigration facilities." Colucci's message instructed students on what they should do if they are approached by "unfamiliar law enforcement personnel on campus," explaining they should decline any questions they might ask. She then reminded them that "University police do not have the authority to enforce civil immigration law," adding that they won't stop or detain individuals for the purpose of enforcing civil immigration matters like documentation status, ask about a person's immigration status unless it is related to a criminal offense, arrest or detain an individual and hold or transfer people to federal immigration agents without a warrant for arrest. The message also directed students to "helpful" immigration resources like the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the National Immigration Law Center, United We Dream and Greater Boston Legal Services. When reached for comment, Salem State University spokesperson Corey Cronin said the university remains committed to its mission and core values as they strive to serve all students. "We will follow Federal and Massachusetts laws as they apply to our campus," Cronin said. "We are collaborating with our sister state universities and are awaiting further guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Additional resources provided to SSU students and obtained by Campus Reform include official "Know Your Rights" guidelines for interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as other "Immigration Resources" and "Gender, Sexuality and Reproductive Health Resources." A "LGBTQIAP+ Awareness & Authentic Allyship" PowerPoint obtained by Campus Reform defines lesbian, gay, bisexual/biromatic, transgender, queer and questioning sexual orientations, as well as other terms like "allosexism," "androgyne," "biphobia," "cisnormativity" and "heteronormitivity." The slideshow provides various examples and renditions of LGBT flags, including the "neutrois," "polyamorous," "pony," "twink," "two-spirit" and "ally" flags. Various challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, according to the slideshow, are also discussed, including discrimination & violence and heteronormativity in which "Oversaturation of heteronormative perspectives in the media, education, medical field, and policies" pose difficulty. "Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia can be more pronounced in certain regions and against specific subgroups within the LGBTQ+ community," the slideshow reads. "Many intentionally move away from using terms like 'transphobic,' 'homophobic,' and 'biphobic' because they inaccurately describe systems of oppression as irrational fears." During his first hours in office, Trump issued a slew of executive orders that targeted federal diversity and transgender initiatives, including clarification that it is government policy to recognize just two sexes, male and female.
