Colorado State University students and faculty and Fort Collins community members rally at the Lory Student Center Plaza for the nationwide Stand Up for Science protest March 7. “This is the worst existential threat that higher education has ever faced,” said Mary Van Buren, president of CSU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “Whether we use critical race theory or the theory of evolution in our research, we must defend our right, our obligation to investigate, freely, the world around us.”

A protester holds up a sign referencing the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency March 7. The department’s namesake used to be primarily equated with the widely recognized internet dog meme.

Demonstrators gather in Old Town Square in support of the nationwide Stand Up for Science protest March 7. Protestors held various political signs, such as “Fascists Fear Education,” “Science Not Silence” and “Time To React.”

Protesters hold signs on their way up College Avenue toward Old Town Square in support of the nationwide Stand Up for Science protest March 7.

Colorado State University students and faculty and Fort Collins community members make their way to Old Town Square on College Avenue, chanting and cheering in support of the nationwide protest Stand Up for Science March 7.

A protester holds up a sign that reads “No Censorship in Science” in reference to the recent attempts to censor certain words and topics from federally funded research March 7. “For me, it’s essential to stand up for truth, and the truth is — whether or not it’s reflected in judiciary choices — these executive orders defunding good, hardworking people who protect and manage our lands based upon facts and data and the censorship of climate change is absolutely unconstitutional,” Colorado State University senior Giovanna Paterno said. “This is not the United States I believe in, and I will fight for what I believe this country can be no matter what the administration does. I will never give up on fighting for the lands that raised me and the people that depend on them.”

Students and other protesters temporarily stop traffic on College Avenue while marching in the Stand Up for Science protest March 7.

Colorado State University students and faculty and Fort Collins community members walk through The Oval on their way Old Town Square in support of the nationwide Stand Up for Science protest March 7.

A student holds up a sign that reads “Hands Off Our Careers!” at the Stand up for Science protest March 7. Protesters created signs like these to protest the firing of federal employees in agencies like the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Park Service.

A sign that reads “Put Planet Over Profit” towers over Colorado State University students and faculty and Fort Collins community members who gathered for the nationwide Stand Up for Science protest March 7.

Colorado State University students and faculty and Fort Collins community members gather on the Lory Student Center Plaza, hearing opening statements for the Stand Up for Science protest March 7. Most signs referenced the threat of federal funding toward scientific research and the firing of federal workers in recent weeks.

Colorado State University students and faculty and Fort Collins community members gather on the Lory Student Center Plaza for the nationwide Stand Up for Science protest March 7.