51����

To our campus community, 

Recent federal actions have created uncertainty for universities nationwide, including 51����. We are committed to transparency and to keeping you informed about how these changes may impact our campus, students and research. While many things remain fluid and unknown, we will continue to share information as soon as we can. 

We are committed to our guiding values, one of which is diversity in all of its definitions, including who we are, how we think and what we do. We are living in precarious times and recognize the toll that this uncertainty takes. We will work together to uphold one of our other guiding values – to be a caring, compassionate and collegial community characterized by mutual respect and safety. 

You may have seen the recent and detailing the drastic effect of cuts on research. While we continue to make the case for 51���� and the vital importance of higher education and research, we thank everyone for continuing to focus on our mission. 

Here is what we know right now: 

• The  directing all federal agencies to end funding for diversity, equity and inclusion activities and environmental justice research is under a preliminary injunction.
• A temporary restraining order remains in place for the  issued by the National Institutes of Health capping indirect costs at 15%.
• The  (DCL) from the Department of Education provides guidelines for colleges and universities regarding the use or consideration of race in many university functions and activities. On Feb. 28, the department issued  further interpreting the DCL. We are still assessing this guidance. A lawsuit filed Feb. 25 in federal court seeks a preliminary injunction preventing the enforcement of the letter and a declaration that the DCL is “unlawful and unconstitutional.” 
• The  directs all federal agencies to review all grants and contracts for reduction or termination of funding in the next 30 days with particular attention to funding for educational institutions. No legal action has been filed as of yet for this order.
• There hasn’t been any unusual federal immigration enforcement on campus following recent changes in policies. A valid search warrant has always been required for any government agent to enter private areas of campus. Generally, federal agents may not enter private living quarters or lecture halls, classrooms, conference or meeting rooms that are in use without a valid search warrant. Employees are  to contact the 51���� Police Department and the Office of Legal Affairs if any government agent attempts to enter any private areas and to determine the validity of any warrant or for non-routine requests for information. 
• Multiple federal agencies have implemented cuts to their own workforce, canceled contracts and delayed other activities. While some of these actions have been paused by the courts, changes across the federal government will have cascading implications on our own research and operations.

We are concerned about the ramifications for our research enterprise on three fronts – grant cancellation, grant processing delays and changes to indirect cost reimbursement. As a Carnegie R1 research institution, 51���� depends on federal grants to drive innovation, support student experiential learning and collaborate with industry in southeastern Wisconsin. Two 51���� research projects were halted before the temporary restraining order was issued, and the  references other projects at risk if more grants are canceled.   

51���� remains fully engaged at the federal and state level, advocating for resources that protect our mission as a leading urban research university and sustain our university’s work educating students. On campus, we have a dedicated working group assessing these federal actions; determining their impact on our programs, research and funding; modeling different scenarios; and identifying advocacy action steps we can take alongside our partners in the Universities of Wisconsin working group.  

We will communicate the latest information as it becomes available. We will also always post campus updates and Universities of Wisconsin updates on the . We also encourage students and employees to make use of the resources available to them through the  (for employees) and the �����Ի���Dean of Students Office (for students).   

Sincerely, 

Chancellor Mark Mone 
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Andrew Daire