In the week following the start of President Donald Trump’s second stint in office, his administration has issued over two dozen executive orders, many of which have the potential to impact colleges and universities across the nation.
Ralph Weber, vice president and general counsel at Marquette, updated University Academic Senate on Monday about four of Trump’s executive orders and their possible impact on the campus.
The university released a statement on Marquette Today responding to the federal actions and listing resources available to students, but Weber provided more information on the discussions about the following ways the Trump administrations executive orders could impact campus.
- Termination of federal DEI
- Ending birthright citizenship
- Visas and travel bans
- NIH meetings and grant work
The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is in Washington, D.C., tracking the orders, and Marquette’s public affairs department is communicating with the groups.
Weber said Marquette has a small group that is assessing which orders are going to impact the campus, and they will take these orders to a larger group to discuss next steps.
DEI order:
One of Trump’s executive orders is the “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” which bars federal DEI efforts and creates new restrictions on certain policies.
“Going forward, contracts and grants will require Marquette to certify that it does not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable federal anti-discrimination law,” Weber said.
Weber said DEI remains important in Marquette’s culture and mission as a Jesuit institution.
Marquette’s DEI statement:
Grounded in our Catholic, Jesuit mission and Statement on Human Dignity and Diversity, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion at Marquette University actively works to promote a more diverse, welcoming, equitable, and inclusive campus community.
Birthright citizenship order:
A slew of Trump’s executive orders targets immigrants and international students, citing some individuals as threats to national security and public safety.
The president’s administration issued an order attempting to limit birthright citizenship, a legal principle stating that citizenship is automatically granted to individuals born in the United States such as children of immigrants. The order was already blocked by Federal Judge John Coughenour on Jan. 23.
The Department of Homeland Security revoked a policy that considered schools, hospitals and churches to be “sensitive locations” where immigrant enforcement actions could not be taken. Now, these locations, which also include college campuses, are no longer considered sensitive by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, meaning immigrants can be targeted for raids in those areas.
“We have a protocol in place in the event that happens (ICE comes to campus), which is to refer people to MUPD,” Weber said.
The Marquette University Police Department would determine if there is a valid warrant and if it is an administrative warrant or judicial warrant.
“We’re being careful about the extent to which we can give advice, which is pretty limited, but we’ve identified some high quality third-party sites,” Weber said.
Visas and travel bans:
The executive order “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” will tighten vetting and screening for anyone applying for a visa.
The order also requires that those currently living with a visa in the U.S. cannot advocate for or support foreign terrorists and threats, which could possibly affect international students protesting on college campuses.
By March 21, a list of countries that are found with deficient vetting procedures will be compiled. The Trump administration said they will not allow visas from these countries, which Weber said could impact graduate students and faculty who are at Marquette on visas.
Weber said the university will be monitoring this closely.
National Institute of Health suspension of operations:
A Trump administration appointee administered a freeze to NIH’s communications, hiring and travel until Feb. 1. This impacted grant review boards and other operations that are necessary for university research.
“We’re evaluating what the impact will be on our grant work and how we try to mitigate this,” Weber said.
Weber said that overall, protecting Marquette students is guiding their decision-making.
“It’s essential that we continue to act in accordance with our mission, so how do we do that in a way that complies with the law?” Weber said. “It’s important for us to be thoughtful so we can be effective.”
This story was written by Sophia Tiedge and Mia Thurow. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].
