Colorado State University administration and President Amy Parsons issued a statement Thursday afternoon, Feb. 20, in response to community concerns expressed over the future of the Cultural Resource Centers pertaining to recent federal mandates.
According to the statement, no substantial changes will be made to the operations, services or programs operated by the CRCs.
“Students, faculty and staff have told us they fear the CRCs will be closed and staff will be fired by the end of the month,” the statement reads. “This is not accurate. There will be no substantial changes made to the Cultural Resource Centers at this time.”
In response to the U.S Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter published Feb. 14, students have expressed concern through protests and sit-in demonstrations that the CRCs would be closed in 14 days, according to verbiage of the letter.
“We greatly value and respect the work of these centers and their staffs,” the emailed statement reads. “The CRCs play an essential role and enrich the lives of our students and the entire university community. As stated in my previous message, we believe CRCs comply with the law because they are open to all students and support our mission of academic achievement for all.”
While the university affirmed that the CRCs will remain open past the 14-day requirement stipulated in the Dear Colleague letter, the statement reflected that some contingency planning is required based on federal guidelines.
“The federal government, however, may force us to change the way they operate, and responsible contingency planning now is imperative to take care of our students and staff,” the statement reads. “We will continue to communicate with and work alongside CRC directors and other stakeholders on these planning efforts. While we don’t know exactly what, if any, changes will be necessary, we are committed to continuing impactful student programs and services as part of our steadfast commitment to student access and success.”
On Feb. 19, CSU’s Student Coalition for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility staged a march to the Administration Building, calling on the university to support CRCs and other DEIA initiatives.
Concerns about CSU’s failure to abide by the mandates expressed in the letter raised assumptions that federal funding to CSU would be withdrawn, with student protesters calling for CSU to stand with marginalized identities on campus rather than prioritize funding.
Later that night, students filled the gallery of the Associated Students of CSU’s senate session to speak during community comment about the impact of the CRCs. Senators from each CRC also spoke.
On Feb. 20, students staged a sit-in protest at the Administration Building and obtained a meeting with Amy Parsons’ Chief of Staff Matt Tillman. A meeting was set between Parsons and students for Feb. 25.
This is a developing situation. Updates will be posted as available to collegian.com.
Reach Allie Seibel at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
