Early into President Donald Trump’s second term in the oval office, he signed an executive order to remove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and policies.

This executive order affected many establishments, one primarily being college campuses.

Northern Michigan University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors or AAUP released a statement in regard to events that have taken place in college campus’s nationwide as a result of the DEI dismantlement.

“[AAUP] roundly and unanimously condemns the authoritarian actions undertaken by the current administration that threaten to undermine academic freedom and campus free speech. Incursions upon civil liberties and financial and linguistic threats directed at our institutions have caused many of our faculty to fear for their personal safety, worry about the future of our most vulnerable students, or fear retaliation for teaching topics they have studied and researched for the majority of their professional careers,” AAUP said. 

In a letter from the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor states institutions who don’t follow the new DEI laws made in Washington can risk losing federal funding.

“Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,” Trainor said. “Thank you in advance for your commitment to providing our Nation’s students with an educational environment that is free of race, color, or national origin discrimination.”

NMU AAUP says they will continue to fight for the rights of students and faculty no matter their race, gender identity or religion.

“The AAUP at NMU was born out of the fight to ensure faculty and students alike experience a campus that supports free and open inquiry, and we will not stop fighting for that cause,” AAUP said.