South Dakota students weigh protest against university honors for homeland security chief Noem

By SARAH RAZA MADISON S D AP Dakota State University hasn t experienced the scholar protests taking place at other U S colleges Nestled in rural South Dakota majority of the nearly students have been focused on their studies or job hunts avoiding politics and partisan groups Related Articles America s long history of checks and balances is being tested by Trump like rarely before Trump administration says it ll pay immigrants in the US illegally to leave the country In battle against transgender rights Trump targets HUD s housing policies Trump directs Bureau of Prisons to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz Can he do that Federal Reserve likely to defy Trump keep rates unchanged this week Until now The university administration decided to award an honorary doctorate to Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem and invited her to give a commencement speech May bringing politics to the campus In response students have planned a rally on graduation day opposing the former South Dakota governor and the Trump administration and expect protestors from across southeast South Dakota to join them They want to speak out against the federal authorities s immigration policies which are being implemented with Noem s oversight on behalf of peers who fear for their legal status They also are expected to protest Noem s anti-LGBT actions during her time as governor Selected students and faculty also commented they thought the honorary degree was too high an honor to bestow upon her Among DSU students plenty of are unsure if they should join the objections or stay quiet to avoid the kind of punishments suffered by students at more outspoken colleges The atmosphere is tense humanities instructor Daniel Spencer announced Students are afraid of making their voices heard Students studying in its renowned cybersecurity effort have traditionally been hesitant to take political stances because they fear likely blowback when they later seek authorities and private sector jobs DSU s location in Madison a small town about an hour s drive northwest of Sioux Falls also is a factor A large number of of our students are from rural South Dakota and there s a bit of an unwillingness to confront authority Professor Emeritus Dale Droge stated We don t have very a multitude of students in the political sciences or history where they might be thinking about these more civil rights kind of actions Hundreds of international students who attend DSU and haven t yet been affected by newest DHS actions are weighing their participation options The agency had terminated the legal status of more than international students before reversing curriculum and outlining a new strategy for those terminations I have international students coming to me from outside of the senate across campus who expressed to me that they don t want to get involved in any of this because they have fears of getting their visas revoked announced Anden Wieseler a DSU junior and apprentice senate vice president Noem s sponsorship for DSU DSU selected Noem because she was an unwavering champion of Dakota State during her time as governor university spokesperson Andrew Sogn reported in a written report to The Associated Press Noem who received a political science degree from South Dakota State University supported Dakota State s cybersecurity initiatives and helped secure millions of dollars in funding cementing the school s standing as a national cybersecurity leader Sogn explained State University s East Hall is shown on Monday April in Madison S D AP Photo Sarah Raza Students walk to class at Dakota State University Monday April in Madison S D AP Photo Sarah Raza Dakota State University is home to nearly students shown on Monday April in Madison S D AP Photo Sarah Raza An entrance into Dakota State University s campus Monday April in Madison S D AP Photo Sarah Raza Secretary of Homeland Measure Kristi Noem speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House Wednesday April in Washington AP Photo Evan Vucci Show Caption of State University s East Hall is shown on Monday April in Madison S D AP Photo Sarah Raza Expand She was petitioned to share remarks with DSU s graduates based on her distinguished and ground-breaking career in society facility and her numerous efforts to backing the citizens of the state of South Dakota and the nation Sogn announced Noem s office did not respond to a request for comment DSU President Jos -Marie Griffiths nominated Noem to receive an honorary doctorate though the university declined to provide details of the offer The general faculty and learner senate voted against the nomination with only one of the trainee senators voting in favor of the nomination Wiesler reported Fear of speaking out There is a fear among a lot of the international attendee body on speaking on this matter just a upshot of the current political situation declared Tyler Sprik a freshman and scholar senator That s part of the reason me and several other senators have become so involved it s because a lot of our colleagues can t Faculty members also are apprehensive to share their opinions publicly Several reported the administration discouraged them from speaking to media and joining apprentice rallies Various cited President Donald Trump s heightened scrutiny on higher tuition as reason for caution Other students explained they feared reprisal from the administration and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they didn t want to jeopardize their jobs Sogn commented that faculty members are welcome to speak with the media South Dakota faculty are afforded fewer protections than in other states due to a state law outlawing faculty unions at constituents colleges Droge is troubled by the reluctance to speak out It is very concerning to me that we ve reached a point in not just Dakota State but in so a large number of institutions that people are afraid to speak freely even on issues like this of free speech and principles and ethics Droge declared These things aren t against the university in any way but it s about allowing people to speak their minds freely Several faculty members also noted having a high-profile figure at commencement may take attention away from the graduates The biggest chatter I ve heard from students and other faculty is first and foremost concern that there will be a disruption to the commencement which we all feel is so vital to the students that are there revealed Stephen Krebsbach a computer science professor Still a multitude of students are preparing for the rally The students attitude is clear No honor for Noem Give commencement back to the graduates and listen to us Sprik explained This story corrects that Sogn did not address faculty protections in South Dakota