Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. Letters to the Editor reflect the view of a member of the campus community and are submitted to the publication for approval. 

To the Colorado State University administration,

Over the course of my time as a student at CSU, I’ve come to deeply value the Ramily we’ve built. I see myself reflected in the students I pass on campus, whether or not I know them personally.

My heart is with every member of this community, and right now, that community is under threat.

Since the start of the current federal administration, it feels as though CSU’s leadership has seized the moment to suppress its marginalized populations. The climate on campus has grown increasingly hostile, and the administration’s silence in the face of bias incidents, hate crimes and discrimination is unacceptable.

These issues are not new; they’ve persisted for years. And yet, despite repeated protests and calls for change, the response from administration leadership has been consistently inadequate.

The original platform for reporting bias incidents had quietly been renamed on the CSU website; the ability to update pronouns or preferred names in RAMweb was removed and only reinstated when students protested; free speech policies have shifted; the Incident Management Team continues to make decisions impacting identities held within the Cultural Resource Centers without our input; and the Trans Day of Remembrance ceremony was stripped of using any university resources to put on the vigil. 

Several years ago, a noose was found outside a Black student’s dorm room. Swastikas were painted in our dorm halls. This past school year, the Black Lives Matter Mural was defaced. The N-word was written on a student’s car in the library parking lot.

And, most alarmingly, funding for our Cultural Resource Centers is under threat — all while the university celebrates record-breaking research expenditures and donor contributions. As reported by The Coloradoan, CSU’s research spending surpassed $600 million in the 2024-25 academic year, despite ongoing concerns about federal funding cuts. 

So when we ask about protecting DEI initiatives and the first response from the administration is, “We don’t want to risk our funding,” it rings hollow. The numbers speak for themselves — this isn’t about scarcity. It’s about priorities.

Students have been pleading with you to do better. We’ve organized, we’ve met with key figures — Amy Parsons, Blanche Hughes, Kauline Cipriani — and we’ve asked for transparency, accountability and meaningful change. Instead, communication has deteriorated. Transparency has eroded. Our trust in the administration continues to decline.

Let me be clear: You are accountable to the students. We are the reason this institution thrives. We are the reason donors invest. And yet, our voices are being ignored. For those in administration who identify with marginalized communities, your silence is especially painful; you have the power to advocate for us, and choosing not to is a betrayal.

Why is it that when marginalized students ask for support, the response is silence, deflection or the removal of resources? We’ve met with you. We’ve advocated. We’ve exhausted every channel available to us. And still, we are not heard.

This is a final call to do better. The erosion of protections for marginalized communities doesn’t just harm those directly affected — it undermines the safety and the integrity of the entire campus. You know better, so why aren’t you doing better?

We cannot afford to be passive. Compliance will not protect us. Conceding to oppressive systems will not solve our problems. The administration, both federal and institutional, will continue to strip away our rights unless we resist. Students know we deserve better.

Ferrin Jaudon, ASCSU Speaker Pro Tempore