LARAMIE, Wyo. — Among the various institutions across the state that receive government funding is the University of Wyoming. Following the new order from the Trump administration to freeze federal aid and grants, University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel released a campus-wide statement regarding how the state’s only four-year college will be affected.
For more information on this developing situation, including how other programs’ funding will change, see Oil City News’s previous reporting.
It is the current understanding of Trump’s orders that individuals who receive federal assistance through financial aid and grants, such as the Pell Grant, will not see their tuition assistance affected.
Furthermore, any federal dollars distributed up to Feb. 3 shall not be frozen while U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan deliberates over the order’s implications. The judge’s decision was implemented right before the freeze was to take effect at 3 p.m. Mountain Time.
While it is currently unlikely that individual students’ federal student aid is to change much, President Seidel said that the order’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion subject matter may impact research opportunities.
Seidel added, however, that the school’s nearly year-long crusade to rid itself of its DEI programs “already has us well-positioned to respond as needed while remaining supportive of our communities.”
The university president also shared a free campus resource for faculty to better understand how their projects’ funding will change. Most professors, including many at the University of Wyoming, are required to conduct research and have it published per the terms of their job.
The web page for the resource advises that faculty first review the terms of their grant agreements and to constantly monitor updates on federal policy to ensure that they are compliant with the most recent orders, among other recommendations.
Also included on the web page is a shortlist of various agencies that have already published a notice on their intent moving forward. The Department of Energy Office of Science, for example, said that it is immediately mandating the suspension of all DEI Policies, which includes requiring research proposals to include Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research Plans.
To see how other agencies have responded, visit the web page.
Seidel concluded his message with some words of encouragement to his campus community.
“In closing, I know this issue is causing concern for some and I want to reaffirm that UW is a place where all are welcome and can succeed,” Seidel said.