The University Senate held their first meeting of the spring semester on Feb. 7 in King Auditorium. The audience of faculty, staff, and advisors shared concerns over how President Donald Trump’s initiatives will affect Rowan, the logistics of the growth of Rowan’s new online initiative, and the ongoing construction at Campbell Library and the Chamberlain Student Center. 

University Senate president Bill Freind opened the meeting by discussing the temporary funding freeze on thousands of federal programs, recent raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. On Jan. 29, the Trump administration rescinded a call they had made to freeze federal funds, which would have had an effect on financial aid for college students. 

Freind called the $3 trillion funding freeze an “authoritarian move.”

“This is something we’re gonna see for the next three years, authoritarianism and incompetence,” said Freind. 

Since President Trump’s inauguration, there have been ICE raids across the country, including a recent scare in Wildwood. A professor in the audience spoke up and said she was worried that ICE officers could potentially  come into classrooms and arrest students.

“What to do if ice comes on campus? It’s unlikely, but if they ask you, say, ‘Federal law prohibits me from talking about students,’” said Freind. 

Freind explained that Rowan relies on international students in multiple facets for the success of the university. This includes their space in the university as graduate students, and the role that plays in achieving Research 1 status. Research 1, or R1, is a Carnegie Foundation classification and is the highest level that can be achieved by a university. 

“We don’t get the R1 without graduate students and international students…It’s going to be much harder to get student visas. If you’re from France, no, but if you’re going to be from Asia or Africa it’s going to  be very racial,” said Freind. 

A professor said that concerns do not just swirl around the status of DEI, but also with issues surrounding the environment and public health. The professor was referencing an executive order Trump signed on Jan. 22 that would terminate DEI preferencing in the federal workforce and contracting. 

In Rowan-related business, the senate discussed the university’s continued efforts to build up online programs and courses, which was met with concern and confusion. In short, the university is trying to create full online degree programs that will be accessible to people across the country. 

“I don’t know how this online initiative is supposed to work,” said Freind. 

Other professors and attendees shared concerns about psychology students in the PhD program and how that would operate online, how long it will take to create quality online courses, and the lack of involvement professors seem to have in the process. 

In talks of Rowan’s ongoing construction, Freind compared ongoing confusion around an opening date for the new Student Center to the Samuel Beckett play “Waiting for Godot” and said library renovation is “a mess.” The last inspection done to the student center had small discrepancies, and they still do not have an official opening date. 

Freind said that because it is an active construction zone there should only be necessary employees on site. Certain majors, those using the newly opened Dreamscape space, and library employees are still allowed in the building. 

“This comes down to one phrase: project managers,” said Freind. “We are too big not to have a VP of facilities to handle things like this. We need a project manager. This is why the vet and nursing schools have moved along so quickly. Because they have dedicated project managers.”

The Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine and nursing school will be open soon, with groundbreaking for the nursing school happening on Feb. 13. They also announced that the Edelman Fossil Park and Museum will open in March.

For questions, comments, & concerns, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan, or email us at news@thewhitonline.com