Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey on Feb. 16, 2023. As federal funding is threatened many universities, including SOU, face tough decisions.
Erik Neumann / JPR
Oregon universities are having conversations about how they should be responding to threats to diversity programs and immigrant students by the Trump administration.
That could have major implications for schools such as Southern Oregon University in Ashland, which prides itself on creating an inclusive environment for every student. President Rick Bailey spoke with staff on Monday about how the university is responding to the changing political climate. He said there’s currently an attempt to force institutions into the political sphere.
“We probably can’t be apolitical. Politics is all around us,” he said. ”What we can do is fiercely continue to push to be nonpartisan. And so that’s what I want SOU to do. We have to continue to do that.”
Bailey said the university will have to follow the law, and will essentially be forced to change if its federal funding is on the line.
“I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that Title IV money, which is Pell Grant, is really critical to student success,” said Bailey. ”So we want to make sure that we are not put in a position where that comes at risk.”
He said he wants to find a way to keep SOU’s core values intact even if it’s forced to dismantle things like diversity, equity and inclusion programs. But right now, Bailey said he doesn’t have a solution for that.
He said Oregon’s seven public universities are in communication with each other about this, and that each of them may navigate it differently.
President Trump ordered the secretary of education to provide guidance to universities on DEI programs by the end of May.
Roman Battaglia is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.
