A public university in Salem, Massachusetts, has signaled support for various controversial topics challenged in Trump administration executive orders in recent weeks, including illegal immigrant student protection and gender identity, according to multiple emails shared with students in the days following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
fSalem State University (SSU) Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Christopher Macdonald-Dennis emailed the student body two days after Trump took office about “Moving Forward Together” given the changes in Washington, D.C., according to an exclusive report in Campus Reform.
“While the unknown can be quite unsettling, please know that we remain there for each of our community members regardless of their identity,” the official wrote. “Whatever is happening outside of our campus, we remain committed to the principles of inclusion and belonging here at Salem State.”
Macdonald-Dennis also said that Salem State would “partner with our state university sister schools” and monitor how the Trump administration’s new executive orders would impact the university.
In another email obtained by Campus Reform, SSU General Counsel Rita Colucci discussed school policies relating to law enforcement and immigration law in a Jan. 29 email to students.
“Salem State University (SSU) is committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for our students, faculty and staff,” she wrote. “We understand the latest news and social media chatter on the Executive Order signed by President Trump have raised questions about how SSU protects our community. This is especially true regarding privacy and interactions with external authorities such as law enforcement or immigration facilities.”
Colucci’s message instructed students on what they should do if they are approached by “unfamiliar law enforcement personnel on campus,” explaining they should decline any questions they might ask.
She then reminded them that “University police do not have the authority to enforce civil immigration law,” adding that they won’t stop or detain individuals for the purpose of enforcing civil immigration matters like documentation status, ask about a person’s immigration status unless it is related to a criminal offense, arrest or detain an individual and hold or transfer people to federal immigration agents without a warrant for arrest.
The message also directed students to “helpful” immigration resources like the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, the National Immigration Law Center, United We Dream and Greater Boston Legal Services.
When reached for comment, Salem State University spokesperson Corey Cronin said the university remains committed to its mission and core values as they strive to serve all students.
“We will follow Federal and Massachusetts laws as they apply to our campus,” Cronin said. “We are collaborating with our sister state universities and are awaiting further guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
Additional resources provided to SSU students and obtained by Campus Reform include official “Know Your Rights” guidelines for interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as other “Immigration Resources” and “Gender, Sexuality and Reproductive Health Resources.”
A “LGBTQIAP+ Awareness & Authentic Allyship” PowerPoint obtained by Campus Reform defines lesbian, gay, bisexual/biromatic, transgender, queer and questioning sexual orientations, as well as other terms like “allosexism,” “androgyne,” “biphobia,” “cisnormativity” and “heteronormitivity.”
The slideshow provides various examples and renditions of LGBT flags, including the “neutrois,” “polyamorous,” “pony,” “twink,” “two-spirit” and “ally” flags.
Various challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, according to the slideshow, are also discussed, including discrimination & violence and heteronormativity in which “Oversaturation of heteronormative perspectives in the media, education, medical field, and policies” pose difficulty.
“Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia can be more pronounced in certain regions and against specific subgroups within the LGBTQ+ community,” the slideshow reads. “Many intentionally move away from using terms like ‘transphobic,’ ‘homophobic,’ and ‘biphobic’ because they inaccurately describe systems of oppression as irrational fears.”
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During his first hours in office, Trump issued a slew of executive orders that targeted federal diversity and transgender initiatives, including clarification that it is government policy to recognize just two sexes, male and female.
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