At the beginning of February, university President Laura Carlson went to Dover to speak in front of the Delaware General Assembly’s Joint Finance Committee. The committee met to discuss whether or not to provide additional funding to various educational institutions within the state, including the university. 

Carlson left after facing pushback from state senators over recent decisions by the university amid federal pressure to cut back on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. 

Carlson submitted an initial budget request of $155 million, but was granted an operating budget of $151.4 million by Delaware Governor Matt Meyer. 

Once her testimony began, Carlson was met with repeated questions regarding recent incidents on campus, including the removal of research pertaining to the university’s ties to slavery and the halt of the University of Delaware Anti-Racism Initiative (UDARI). 

“Just disappointed that, you know, the thought that my university would wilt in the face of pressure from this white nationalist movement that’s trying to erase important parts of our collective history,” Senator Trey Paradee (D-Dover), chairman of the Joint Finance Committee, said during the hearing, according to Delaware Online.

The Trump administration has threatened to strip universities of federal funding if they promote diversity and inclusion initiatives and research. 

Carlson referred to the removal of the research as a “mistake.” 

“We will not let external pressure determine what our faculty can research, what our students can study, or the history we preserve and share,” Carlson said. “That is not who we are. We will always navigate the federal landscape responsibly, but we will not abandon our values in the process.”

In addition to the removal of research, Carlson also answered questions from lawmakers about the loss of federal funding from the current administration, threats involving international students and the potential presence of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on campus. 

State Senator Laura Sturgeon (D-Hockessin) asked questions about the protection of international students and preparations the university has taken for any possible ICE action on campus, in addition to other concerns that she said were voiced by student leaders.

“We’re working our way through getting information available much more readily, easy to find, so that if it were to happen, we are ready,” Carlson said, as reported by Delaware Online. “My knowledge is we have not had ICE on campus. […] We are trying to take a stance of trying to ensure continuity of education.”
Subsequently, official university guidance on how to interact with ICE officials was updated on Feb. 12, a week after the meeting. Prior to the web page update, there was only a brief reference guide on what to do when interacting with federal law enforcement on university grounds.