Federal impacts discussed at All University Meeting

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST

By Sophia Harris Editor-in-Chief President Nancy Niemi discussed the impacts of federal administrative actions on the University and provided financial updates at the All University Meeting March 31. Niemi said the University’s administration is “paying very close attention” to all of the recent executive orders and how they could possibly pose a threat to the University. She reminded the community “that all of the executive actions that are coming from the federal government are not law.” She said she empathized with the community, but Massachusetts has filed lawsuits counteracting the executive orders posed by the federal administration. “We have the wherewithal and the right to counteract what comes out of executive actions and either watch carefully or, when appropriate, take action,” Niemi added. Regarding the federal administration's recent threats to university curriculum, Niemi said, “Academic freedom is key. “Teaching, curriculum, speech, that is where we will draw that line. We will not acquiesce. Equity works in all its forms.” Niemi reiterated Framingham State’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. She said it is embedded in all the work the University undertakes, whether it is in the classroom or through the heritage events the Center for Inclusive Excellence hosts. “People on campus, they come in and feel that that is our commitment. Many have said that. Most importantly, we can feel it. The protection of our employees and our students is, of course, critical,” she said. She added, “It's scary - some of the things we're seeing, many of the things we're seeing are scary, but we are committed.” English Professor Rachel Trousdale asked if there was action being taken by the Massachusetts Council of State University Presidents to coordinate their response to federal actions. Niemi said, “I would like to say that we would all be together, and I'm hoping that will be the case, but I can't tell you for sure.” Anthropology professor and Interim President of the Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA) Benjamin Alberti said the faculty union is “planning actions and will have support for us as faculty, as a united group,” through the nine state colleges and universities. Alberti asked Niemi, “What can you say to our workers and to our students to reassure them about your support for them and the University's support for them, especially in the context of the fact that we are already fairly heavily worked in terms of doing service work, working toward our strategic plan and so forth?” He added given that faculty, staff, and students want to continue working on their goals while sidelined by threats from the federal administration, “What can you say to reassure faculty and students who work here?” Niemi acknowledged that “everyone is carrying that very heavy extra burden” and advised people to talk to their peers and find ways to help each other. She added, “Letting each other know, first of all, that, ‘Hey, this is really, really hard at this moment. Can you help me? Is there something we can do to alleviate this other thing that I have to do?’ So being extra communicative, I think, is one thing, and also to not assume that the answer is no.” Nutrition and Health Studies Professor Susan Massad asked if the University should distribute the “Know Your Rights” cards, also known as “red cards,” to all students. These cards provide information on what individuals' rights are in regard to immigration policies and what to say if approached by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Kim Dexter said the cards are available all over campus, including in the Center for Inclusive Excellence and the Dean of Students office. Dexter said through the Print Services gateway, anyone who would like to print the cards to distribute to students can do so. Dexter said the cards are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. Professor of Psychology and Philosophy Mirari Elcoro asked if there should be further supports set in place to protect students, faculty, and staff from immigration officials. “What if, for example, one of our international students would leave the country and would have trouble coming back? This would be for not only our students but also our colleagues in various immigration situations. What would be the support connections that the University would be prepared to provide?” she asked. Chief of Staff and General Counsel Ann McDonald said although the University is not at liberty to provide legal advice, “I think what we need to do is make people aware of what the threats are that we know of, or what the concerns are that they might encounter.” She added, “For any of us who've worked in this field for a long time, I think some of the things we're seeing now we thought we'd never see.” Dexter said the University is continuing to sponsor tenure-track faculty who need immigration support. “For those faculty who we do sponsor, they have lines of communication with immigration firms,” Dexter said. Vice President of Student Success Lorretta Holloway said, “We had to contact all our international students before spring break and recommend that they not leave the country because we weren't sure that they'd be able to come back.” She added Bunker Hill Community College recently canceled all of its faculty-led study abroad trips this summer due to the number of international students they enroll. Niemi stated the University unveiled a new web page that details to incoming students what they will pay in tuition and fees to Framingham State. This calculation is based on family income. She said, “Over half of our students paid nothing in tuition and fees.” Niemi added the University will now offer a $1,000 renewable transfer student scholarship for students who hold a minimum 3.0 college grade point average. “Free community college is still a factor, and we don't have data in to see how that may or may not impact us, so we're trying to work very hard to make those things work better and be more affordable,” she said. In terms of expected funding for FSU from the state, Niemi said the University expects equal state-aid funds in fiscal year 2026. She said if something happens “drastically” to the state’s budget, “if Medicaid cuts really come in big numbers, the state cannot afford to cover everything that happens, and so we could be looking at some impact on our budget.” She said, “The only comfort I have in that is that the state universities are right there with us. It's not like Framingham State would be at a disadvantage and everybody else wouldn't be.” Niemi added, “We're watching, but right now, we're moving forward because that's what we need to do, and that's what our students expect us to do, and that's what we expect us to do.” Chair of Nutrition and Health Studies Ann Johnson said, “We have had problems time and time again where our software systems have been upgraded without our knowing, and then all of a sudden, something comes online, and it's very problematic.” She said this is especially problematic during the advising period. “I go in and see that all of our course descriptions and our prerequisites in there are wrong, and they're different from what they were two months ago.” Johnson added, “I know that HR has issues with data integrity in your software system. I expect FAFSA is probably going to be problematic given what's going on at the federal level.” Vice President of Finance, Technology, and Administration Robert Totino said the University is looking to address this in the next few months through the strategic initiative processes with data governance. He said Patrick Laughran, chief information officer, has requested two new positions for next year and this team will work cross-divisionally to update software on campus. “I think when this really gets rolling in the next six to 12 months with data governance, we're really going to start to see some wheels hum when it comes to everyone working together on data to move forward strategically,” Totino said. In response to Johnson’s comments, Executive Director of Student Records & Registration Services Mark Powers sent an email Thursday afternoon stating, “At the recent All University Meeting, a concern was raised that all course descriptions in Banner were incorrect. We want to clarify that the course descriptions in Banner are accurate. However, late last week, we became aware that the course link view in DegreeWorks was displaying outdated course descriptions instead of the most recent versions. “Upon investigation, our office, in collaboration with IT, identified the issue in DegreeWorks and implemented a correction early Monday morning. We also want to emphasize that this issue was not related to the most recent Banner system security patch.” Biology Professor Cara Pina commended the addition of the cost breakdown webpage for students and asked how FSU plans on communicating this information to incoming and current students. Iris Godes, vice president of Enrollment Management, said most students know how much aid they are eligible for through the FAFSA process. She said the main purpose of the webpage is to remain competitive for prospective students in light of free community college tuition.