A screenshot of the University of Colorado’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webpage. (CU Independent)
Editor’s note: This story was cross-published on the digital webpage of the University of Colorado Boulder’s student radio station, Radio 1190.
On Thursday, members of the University of Colorado community noticed that the link to CU’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webpage led to an error reading “Page Not Found.”
This error followed President Donald J. Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” Trump’s order aims to end the effects of former President Joe Biden’s previous Executive Order 13985, which advanced racial equity and supported underserved communities.
The new order from the Trump Administration requires the termination of DEI language, training and practices in the federal workforce, contracting and spending areas within 60 days. This includes eliminating policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the federal government under whatever name they appear.
The following day, the Office of Collaboration and Leadership Support and Programming pages were launched by CU Boulder.
The university was, “already in the midst of a large university name change” for the DEI services, according to Sonja Benton, the Pride Office Program Manager at the Center for Inclusion and Social Change. Benton said the change has been in progress since 2021 and is a strategic move, “not out of fear” but to better support the CU student population.
Aspen Rawson, the CISC student coordinator for the Peers Educating and Empowering Peers team, says the discontinued DEI webpage was leadership and faculty-focused.
“A lot of students haven’t even heard about this change,” Rawson said. “It’s not getting huge publicity and it’s not causing a bunch of panic because it shouldn’t.”
Creating the Office of Collaboration and Leadership Support Programming has been a four-year process. CISC will continue to serve students and faculty of intersectional identities, including undocumented students and faculty.
According to Benton, the executive order will not affect student services.
“We’re going to ensure that services remain the same,” they said.
Students can find these services and support at CISC, located on the third floor of the Center for Community and the Leadership Support and Programming website.
“They published their game plan, so we put strategies in place,” Rawson said. “I don’t think getting students to visit CISC will be impacted by the webpage change.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sarah Taylor at Sarah.Taylor@colorado.edu
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Melodie Miller at Melodie.Miller@colorado.edu
