ASU outlines its mission in a charter that emphasizes "not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed." But for many underrepresented students shifting into the Donald Trump administration, that mission does not always align with their lived experiences.
Changes in national policy and rhetoric have left students saying they feel uncertain about their place on campus and in the country, balancing academic pressures and the gnawing question of what comes next?
Some executive orders aim to restrict the diverse voices of students on college campuses by erasing diversity, equity and inclusion language. As communities continue to fight for visibility and access in higher education, these political shifts only widen existing gaps.
READ MORE: The DEI debate: Campus inclusion or a step too far?
Since January, students across a range of identities, including students who are first-generation, disabled and part of the LGBTQ+ community, describe the challenges of navigating higher education in an environment shaped by both political and institutional pressures.
Immigration
Emily Sotelo Estrada, a student studying economics and justice studies, serves as co-chair of Aliento at ASU, a club that provides a safe space for those impacted by immigration policy. As a first-generation college student and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Estrada said she uses her platform to advocate for first-gen students without legal permanent status facing executive orders that aim to restrict immigration, limit educational access and instill fear in vulnerable communities.
"I'm first generation, because my parents are immigrants," Estrada said. "Hearing things where people would say ... they're causing job shortages ... they're taking homes and they're taking public benefits. Those are all things that I already heard and knew about, even before I came to college, and it's really guided me into studying what I am studying."
Since the election, students say there's been a noticeable shift in campus climate. Estrada pointed to increasing fear and uncertainty among diverse student groups.
As conversations around identity and inclusion grow more charged, some wonder what free speech looks like on a public university campus, and who gets to exercise it without fear.
An event in January contributed to campus political tensions. College Republicans United, a student club at ASU, held a tabling event where they encouraged students to report classmates and peers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. After the event, the organization posted ICE tip forms around campus.
CRU declined to comment for this story.
Other campus stirs include the University relocating all resources for LGBTQ+ students on its website, postponing the Drag U Downtown events and the revoking of international students' visas.
"I've seen that people are feeling a lot more afraid and a lot more tense about the things that they do and the things that they say," Estrada said. "That's an issue when it comes to advocacy, because part of advocacy is just free speech."
While the shifting political climate has left some students hesitant to speak out, others are finding strength in community and stepping forward with purpose.
In January, Aliento organized a peaceful solidarity rally that marked a turning point for many. Since then, Estrada said the group has seen a rise in both participation and visibility. A sign that more students are ready to advocate for themselves and the policies that affect their lives.
"A lot of us are not just dealing with our course load," Estrada said. "We're also dealing with the stress of 'Am I still going to have the right to even be in my classroom?'"
Aliento continues to offer resources like "Know Your Rights" information, legal aid referrals and healing workshops. People can find more support on Aliento's website.
Another executive order potentially targets the Department of Education. The order threatens to dismantle financial support systems that many underrepresented students, including first-generation, low-income or students with disabilities, rely on.
With this executive order comes funding and staff cuts to departments like FAFSA, which students with disabilities rely on for support and accommodation services. Without these services, accessibility resources could potentially disappear over the next four years.
Disability
Catherine Novotny, a law student at ASU and member of the Disabled Law Students Association at ASU, spoke about the ways recent political and cultural shifts have directly impacted her and others with disabilities.
"I've had to explain to some of my friends who are very well meaning and and oppose some of the things that have been going on that, you know, I'm feeling this right now," Novotny said.
Novotny described two main ways society views disability: the medical model and the social model. The medical model sees disability as a deficit that needs to be fixed, while the social model focuses on removing barriers and creating a more accessible world.
"Right now, the culture is the medical model of disability, which assumed there was a flaw with disability, which I think it was also like that before the Trump era, but it was starting to move towards the social model ... that shift back to the medical model of disability is happening," Novotny said.
Novotny added this return to a more rigid, idealized perception of ability can also result in harmful tokenization.
"It could be really easy for certain people to start becoming tokens in a way, or it's like this is the ideal you should strive for in order to beat the culture crisis versus what it should be — people being able to just be," Novotny said.
LGBTQ+
Giovanni Delgado Ferreira, a Cuban-Brazilian queer graduate student studying theater for youth and community, serves as co-president of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) student committee within ASU's School of Music, Dance and Theatre.
Through his work with students, both on campus and in the broader Phoenix community, Ferreira said he has noticed an increasing sense of fear, especially among youth who don’t hold legal status in the country.
He explained that these emotions show up in subtle but meaningful ways like students becoming more withdrawn or hesitant to participate.
"It's affecting attendance. Some of them are not coming to class or coming to my sessions as regularly as they normally do," Ferreira said. "There is a fear and a distrust of adults in general that is being formed, especially within youth who come from those populations around Phoenix."
Even so, Ferreira is constantly moved by the resilience he sees in the people around him.
"I see a lot of very, very passionate and resilient people of many different backgrounds and races and colors … advocating for change, for a spark, for something different," said Ferreira.
Ferreira said this moment has pushed him to be even more intentional in his advocacy; not just louder, but smarter.
"It definitely makes me feel more empowered to advocate," Ferreira said. "I have to be a lot more intentional now, because ultimately, there's a lot less room for error. … The biggest thing now is how do we educate? How do we plant seeds?"
Edited by Tiya Talwar, Alysa Horton and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at bmclar14@asu.edu and follow @clark_brande13 on X.
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Brandelyn is a senior studying journalism and mass communication. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked for Lake Affect Magazine, ICT News and Cronkite News.
