SLU’s DEI Response
On Wednesday, St. Lawrence University officials sent a campus-wide email regarding the school’s response to the Trump administration’s month of executive orders. Primarily, the email focused on the recent diversity, equity and inclusion orders aimed at educational institutions.
Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Kim Asch, issued the email to the SLU student body and more on behalf of President Kate Morris, Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs Alison Del Rossi, and Vice President and Dean of Student Life Jon Duraj.
In the email, the university discussed the United States Department of Education’s “Dear Colleague” letter, which gave all U.S. educational institutions a two-week deadline to eliminate the use of race preferences and stereotypes in several aspects of funding, admissions, and other aspects of administration processes. The letter was published on Feb. 14, making the end of its deadline today, Feb. 28.
Since the letter’s release, the university administration says it has worked “as a leadership team, with relevant experts” to assess the school’s “policies, practices and programs that could be touched by the OCR’s [Office of Civil Rights] stated expectations.”
The expectations in question included removing DEI preferences in “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, sanctions, discipline and beyond,” according to the ED website.
Ultimately, the university has found that no changes need to be made per the ED’s letter. To quote the email, “We confirmed that our student organizations, programs and housing options are already open to all students and our policies protect all students from discrimination. We are currently in compliance with the contractual obligations associated with our federal (and state) funded student opportunity programs. And our analysis of HR practices confirmed compliance with federal and state laws and with our own policies.”
As of now, this means today’s deadline will not affect students, faculty or staff in any manner. Although the school gave no specific details about its assessment process, the outcome is still a positive sentiment toward improving diversity and inclusion at SLU. The email is also an encouraging push for a more transparent university administration. The university says it will continue to foster “an inclusive and welcoming community” for everyone at SLU.
Regardless of the email, worries still circulate. President Donald Trump’s near-daily executive orders or administration decisions will likely continue to occur, including more DEI and education decisions. The Hill News is dedicated to keeping students informed about any important national or statewide updates that affect our community and the school’s responses to these matters.