Students demand return of DEI, protection of students

Photo by Emily Paris, Photo Editor

Sources for this story will remain anonymous at their request for fear of retribution. 

On April 23 at 11 a.m., students and faculty walked out to demand the university reinstate DEI and announce protections for international and undocumented students. 

On April 11, three international students at Chapman University had their visas revoked. On April 17, Chapman announced the dismantling and reorganizing of its office of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

“Trump’s administration has declared war on previously universal respected concepts,” said a representative for Chapman’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). “And how has Chapman responded to the unprecedented shift? Not by fighting every step of the way. Not by drawing a line in the sand, but by complying with everything.” 

The walkout, which was supported by a coalition of over 30 student organizations, started at Memorial Lawn, where many students gave speeches. 

The protests saw around 100 students present, a significant decrease from the previous walk out held on March 17 with similar demands, which had over 300 students in attendance. 

The protest started with a reading of the protest guidelines: do not engage with counter protestors, follow the directions of protest leaders, do not post identifying photos, the organizers wearing the yellow vests “are here to keep us safe.”

“I see our school stands by as Trump targets international students, as he forces Chapman to dismantle DEI. You know what this makes me? This makes me scared,” said another protestor. “Chapman calls this compliance, but we all know what it is. I know what it is, I call it cowardice.”

After the speeches at Memorial Lawn, the protesters marched through campus, holding signs and chanting. 

“When I chose Chapman University, I was promised support, I was promised gender diverse housing, I was promised places to go to the fucking bathroom. I was promised protection against harassment and discrimination from teachers and students,” said a student during their speech. “My international friends and my people of color friends were promised safety and support. Chapman does not get to use our money and our talent and our skills while refusing to protect us.” 

The main demand of the protest is the reinstatement of the DEI office. On April 17, President Daniele C. Struppa sent out an email to faculty and students announcing “organizational changes” that saw a restructuring of the DEI department to remain in compliance with the new federal guidelines. 

This restructuring announced that many of the staff members from the DEI office will now hold new positions as part of the “First-Generation and Promising Young Futures Program,” while others were moved to be part of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Tutoring and Learning Center.

“As the DEI staff are stripped of their previous titles, students have lost any and all representation within the university. Shame,” said another student representative of SJP. “Occurring only a month after students had a walkout with demands of protecting the DEI office and undocumented students, it’s clear Chapman University has little to no intention of fighting against the Trump administration's demands. This university is more afraid of financial loss than protecting their own students.”

The second reason for the walkout was the fact that three international students at Chapman had their visas revoked. This comes as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration that has found international students across the country as targets. As of April 23, the number of students that have had their visas revoked has reached over 1,700 from across 256 universities. 

“There has been no official statement from Struppa about the support Chapman will provide for these students who were forced to leave by the State Department. Our freedom of speech is being compromised. International and undocumented students' rights to remain in this country can be revoked because of criticism against the federal ok government,” said the student protester. “We must act against it and stand in solidarity as conditions worsen.”

The walkout demands not only that Chapman protect its international students, who make up roughly 5% of its total student population, but that Chapman announce “definitive action” and protections for both its international and undocumented students.

“Chapman’s continued lack of protections for international and undocumented students demonstrates their willingness to comply with any and all of Trump’s demands regardless of whether it violates our rights,” said the SJP representative. “Students are afraid, but this cannot silence us, we cannot afford to be silenced.”

In addition to their demands regarding the DEI office and protections of international and undocumented students, the walk out also included a demand to protect free speech at Chapman. 

This demand comes as part of a push from student protestors to change Chapman policy to allow for fast mobilization in the face of breaking news as well as developments within the university.

“Do you notice how hard it is for us to speak to you? You notice how we’re getting lost in chants? It’s hard, it’s hard to speak freely and to speak our minds. This university is making it hard for us to express our freedom of speech,” said another SJP representative who was present at the protest, referencing the lack of amplified sound during the protest after students got in trouble for using megaphones during a previous walkout. 

“(The restrictions on amplified sound are) ridiculous and now we have these 2D paper megaphones, why? Because we’re not going to be silenced,” said the protester. “Why are they scared of us?”

Their fourth and final demand was for Chapman to divest from war, continuing SJP’s push for divestment from the war on Gaza.

The concerns expressed by students ranged from their disapproval of the dismantling of DEI to the lack of protection for international and transgender students. The students were joined by many faculty members during their walkout and consequent march around campus.

“It is clear that in the future, many years from now, when looking back on this era, people will remember who fought this and who did not. And at the moment, it is clear and it is obvious that Chapman University will be remembered as one who did not,” said a student in their speech at the protest. 

At the end of the walkout, student organizers had SJP’s divestment referendum for students to sign. 

This walkout is now the second protest organized at Chapman University this semester with similar demands. The previous protest had over 300 students, faculty and staff demanding the protection of DEI and the blocking of ICE from accessing the campus. 

This is a developing story that The Panther will continue to report on as the situation unfolds.