University President Rebecca Cunningham answered questions regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, international student issues and other policies during the Undergraduate Student Government’s forum meeting on Tuesday.

USG forum meetings are held every other Tuesday and are the group’s primary meeting time. Most years, the University president visits the forum to speak and answer questions. 

While most questions were presubmitted to Cunningham by USG staff, forum attendees also had the chance to ask additional questions.  

The University’s Law School paused its search for a new assistant dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on Jan. 31, as DEI programs were reassessed. At the forum, Cunningham said the University remains committed to DEI amid ongoing political discourse during President Donald Trump’s administration. 

“We have long values for Diversity and Equity and Inclusion, and the reason we have those values is we know that our student classrooms are better places to learn when we have more and different voices in them,” Cunningham said. “It has been part of our mission, and it remains part of our mission today.” 

USG Director of Federal Affairs Salma Abdi said she is concerned Trump’s threat of funding at universities nationwide will force the University to cut its DEI initiatives. 

“We have no surety that the University will not sell out its supposed values and will not sell out its students once it comes under more threats,” Abdi said. “What point, where is the line that the University will take a stand?”

Abdi said she thinks students are growing concerned, and Cunningham may just be telling them what they want to hear.

“I think it was very disappointing to hear some of her answers, I think throughout the entire forum and throughout her questions,” Abdi said. “I think a lot of it felt like she was doing, saying the bare minimum.”

11 University students had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records terminated by the Department of Homeland Security as of April 18. 

Cunningham said it has been a difficult time for international students, staff and faculty. She said the University has since increased support and staffing, and student services are monitoring a list of international students and their visa statuses. 

“It’s not a public list, but we are monitoring that for our over 5,000 international students, and when there is a change to someone’s visa, they are proactively reaching out as soon as we become aware of that information,” Cunningham said. 

Abdi said she was seeking clearer reassurance and a stronger commitment from the University regarding its support for international students. She added she wanted the University to make a statement to not close their DEI office and commit to stand with its international students. 

USG Director of Student Group Representatives Izaan Rana said he thought Cunningham made a lot of great points.

“I think she did a great job kind of taking the idea of a forum and using that to kind of push out her ideas and present the ideas in a way that, you know, maybe students can engage with and can be knowledgeable about some of the policies or some of the projects that she’s working on,” Rana said. 

Speaker of forum Fatima Aden said she commended Cunningham for attending.

“She was willing to take openly submitted or questions from the floor, because in previous presidents, I don’t believe it was the thing that they were willing to do,” Aden said.