DePaul’s College of Communication hosts a town hall about current issues, including DEI and immigration policies, underscoring the university’s commitment to students. 

On Friday, February 28, the College of Communications held a slimly populated town hall for students to voice questions or concerns about changes under President Trump’s administration, particularly Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and immigration policies.

Attending faculty included Dean of the College of Communication Lexa Murphy, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Engagement Paul Booth, Associate Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs Michaela Winchatz, journalism program chair Jason Martin and photojournalism professor Robin Hoecker. 

14 East interviewed the attending faculty after the town hall. The following details come from those interviews. 

In response to the “Dear Colleague” letter that announced potential federal funding cuts to programs that do not remove DEI initiatives, faculty reiterated the Vincentian mission multiple times. The mission is DePaul’s 125-year commitment to educate and care for the dignity of every individual. 

“It predates hundreds of years even the Civil Rights Act, right? And it’s going to be around after Trump is gone, right?” said Jason Martin of the Vincentian mission. “Like, what would Vincent DePaul say about Trump saying you can’t teach diversity? Well, he’d be like ‘Too bad, that’s what we’re doing.’”

Additionally, given Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s commitment to fighting President Trump’s attacks on DEI in higher education, faculty and administration are committed to what they have always been engaging in – the Vincentian mission, including DEI. 

“The fish don’t recognize water because they’re in it; we don’t recognize air because we’re in it,” said Murphy. “You’re seeing a group of faculty and staff and administrators recommit to a mission that has driven DePaul for 125 years.” 

On immigration, faculty present said that DePaul University does not have a list of undocumented students. 

“We have nothing that could even be turned over if we were asked or required to,” said Murphy. 

Per the FAQ thread on Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on campus, there are some public spaces that Federal ICE officers can enter without a warrant just like members of the public. ICE officials can only enter into limited-access spaces if they have a warrant. Most ICE officers hold civil warrants, which are not signed by a judge and do not authorize officers consent to enter limited-access spaces. 

If an ICE officer asks for access to a limited area, according to instructions from the university, do not physically block them from entering. Instead, inform the ICE officer that they must consult DePaul’s General Counsel and Public Safety before they can have access. Ask the officers to wait in the nearest common area. Call the General Counsel at 312-362-8564 and then Public Safety at 773-325-7777 (Lincoln Park office) or 312-362-8400 (Loop office). If the General Counsel instructs you to, ask the ICE officer for their identification, including name, badge number, agency affiliation and if they have a warrant.  

“This is not new. This is [historical]. This goes back for decades and decades and decades and decades in terms of people fighting for access for higher education,” Hoecker said. “The universities moved to adapt to give students what they need to thrive at a university, but then there’s also a pushback against those things.” 

Faculty suggested that students struggling with uncertainties reach out to the University Counseling Center and speak with their professors. They also requested that students struggling to obtain proper resources reach out to them for guidance. 

Header photo: “Chicago – DePaul University” taken by Wally Gobetz on June 16, 2006 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0