At the first SGA meeting since March 6, members of the UCCS Federal Transition Team held a Q&A about UCCS’ position during the federal transition, and senators passed a resolution upholding SGA’s stance on DEI.
The UCCS Federal Transition Team is made up of students, faculty and staff from departments across campus. They meet weekly to assess the impact of the transition. At the meeting on April 3, representatives from the team discussed the impacts that the federal transition has on UCCS and answered questions from senators and students attending the virtual meeting.
Robin Parent, vice chancellor of strategic initiatives and chief of staff, said that seemingly impactful federal transitions are common, and she is confident that UCCS will handle the transition as they have with previous administrations.
“This particular transition is using higher education as the political football right now, and this is not the first time it has happened, but higher ed sits in the position of being used in that space to fight battles and push agendas in different directions,” Parent said.
DEI
The most recurring issue raised by students was related to DEI and whether students would lose any resources that seem to violate recent legislature. Parent said that existing clubs, events and organizations are not going anywhere.
“We follow all federal and state laws, which include the 16 protected classes that are under Regent law in Colorado,” Parent said. “Nothing can change in regard to the clubs and activities that fall under that programming.”
To assure that these resources aren’t going anywhere, Amanda Allee, assistant vice chancellor for student support and engagement, said that the team is taking proactive measures to preserve organizations like Mosaic. To continue to provide Mosaic as a resource, they moved to drop the acronym but keep the title “Mosaic.”
“This program is about uplifting an allyship within this organization or around this identity. Moving to Mosaic was an opportunity to reinforce that, to not risk having that program lost in the transition,” Allee said.
Immigration
On March 28, 10 international students in the CU system had their visas revoked, according to Colorado Public Radio News. Parent says that one of these students was from UCCS, and the executive team worked with the student, providing them resources to continue their studies online.
“We have to, legally, tell [the student] that they need to return to their home country as soon as possible. Thats part of our requirement. That’s what we have to do as an institution,” Parent said.
Wellness
Benek Altayli, interim assistant vice chancellor for health and wellness, said that since the inauguration in January, the number of students using walk-in crisis hours has increased. “We have had a gradual increase since January of students coming in to talk about that kind of distress,” Altayli said.
Altayli emphasized that the Wellness Center is a confidential zone that students can trust with whatever needs they have. The Wellness Center is required by law to maintain confidentiality unless a student expresses they are being harmed or intend to harm someone else, there is suspected abuse or neglect, or they are subpoenaed by a court. The walk-in hours are every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Student aid and grant funding
Jevita Rogers, assistant vice chancellor of financial aid and student employment, said that the financial aid office prepares for situations in which students lose federal funding. Anywhere that Pell Grants lack, other UCCS or Colorado scholarships will make up, and UCCS students will not lose their funding, Rogers said.
Parent added that grant funding regulations and requirements are changing, and she is unsure how the changes will impact students.
“You’ll hear a lot about the NIH, NSF, NASA, DOD [and] Department of Education grants being canceled and funding stopping. That is happening, and things are moving around because the administration is shifting priorities,” Parent said. “Everything is a little bubbly, but we’re not in a tumultuous space.”
Resolution
Isabella Polombo, senator of innovation, and Catalina Moheit, senator of military affairs, presented a DEI resolution at the meeting. It passed unanimously. A draft of the resolution was presented at the meeting on March 6, and multicultural unions, clubs and organizations on campus were asked for input.
The resolution upholds that SGA stands with UCCS’ core values and believes that recent executive actions go against the school’s mission. “Since the federal transition on Jan. 21, 2025, there have been a series of inconsistent and legally questionable orders that may end up harming students and appear to be designed to stir up fear, hatred and bigotry, while devaluing education,” Polombo and Moheit wrote in the resolution.
The resolution cites 21 executive orders from previous administrations that were overturned by President Trump as the reason for its author, which includes orders relating to protected class citizens.
“A lot of these actions are invoking mass hatred on multiple concerning levels,” Polombo said. “SGA will continue to establish and advocate for the well-being of all our students.”
Students can read the resolution here. Students can learn more about the federal transition and its impacts on the university on the CU system’s federal transition update page.
Photo via The Scribe archives.