
As Temple attempts to make sense of President Donald Trump’s recent flurry of executive orders, university administration is remaining relatively silent while figuring out how shifting policies could impact Temple as a whole.
Temple President John Fry released a statement to the university community on Jan. 29 addressing some of Trump’s recent orders, like schools and churches now being susceptible to raids from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But he did not mention orders calling for the roll back of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
“A team has been tracking these potential developments and identifying how they impact both Temple and higher education in general,” Fry wrote. “We have been actively collaborating with other universities and agencies to better understand the impact of these changes. We will respond as needed, adapt to the changing environment and comply with the law. We will also be sure to keep you apprised of any updates.”
But other Temple leaders have denied The Temple News’ request for comment before and after Fry’s statement. So far, Vice President For Human Resources Sharon Boyle, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Valerie Harrison, Director of International Student Affairs Leah Hetzell and Title IX Coordinator Megan Patrick have all denied TTN’s request for comment.
Temple isn’t the only university in the region to stay relatively silent on Trump’s policies. The University of Pennsylvania has also chosen to primarily stick to a statement from interim President Larry Jameson, released a day before Temple’s on Jan. 28.
“First, we do not know how these developments will play out,” Jameson wrote in an email to the Penn community. “We have convened members of Penn’s administration, the Faculty Senate, the Council of Deans, and other leaders to review these orders, understand their implications, and ensure that we are taking appropriate action.”
Rutgers, Drexel, Penn State and most other institutions across the area have also remained mum on Trump’s orders.
But Temple was one of the last universities in the Philadelphia region to publicly address Trump’s string of orders at all. In the days leading up to Fry’s official statement, a university spokesperson told The Temple News that Temple would follow the same protocol it has for years if ICE came to campus.
“Since at least 2009, Temple University has received visits by Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Administrative Site Visit and Verification Program, and we have a protocol in place for handling such visits,” the spokesperson wrote. “We expect that we would follow the same or similar protocol if ICE chooses to come to Temple under other programs.”
This statement came the same day as the Temple Association of University Professionals released a social media statement calling on Fry and other leaders to release an action plan on what the university would do if ICE showed up on campus.
On Jan. 29, ICE was spotted at a car wash in the Juniata Park neighborhood of the city, Axios reported. There have been several other rumors of sightings across the city, including a viral social media post that claimed agents were seen at the 7-Eleven on Broad Street — a property owned by Temple. The university’s Department of Public Safety confirmed to The Temple News that the reports were unfounded and Fry repeated the same sentiment a few days later in his statement.
Despite staying silent since Fry’s announcement, the university has still put initiatives in place to serve as resources following recent executive orders. Fry wrote in his Jan. 29 statement that the Office of the Vice President for Research is closely following the impact of any agency pauses to federally funded research projects.
The university established a new federal funding guidance portal where research faculty and staff members can reach out to OVPR with any questions on information they are receiving from funding agencies. The pause did not impact student federal financial aid awards.
Considering the changing and unknown ramifications to many of Trump’s orders, Temple’s decision to primarily stick to a statement from Fry makes sense, said Scott Gratson, director of Temple’s communication studies program.
Conflicting political views among Temple’s administrators and faculty, and the overwhelming uncertainty of what could happen next under a Trump presidency are reasons for the university to hold tight and wait to see what happens before commenting any further than Fry’s statement, Gratson said.
“In positions of upper administration, it’s very hard for them, being the voice of the university, to say something directly in light of the fact that they have to represent the entire faculty,” Gratson said. “It is an effective strategy because who knows when the next shoe is gonna fall. Who knows what’s gonna happen tomorrow.”
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