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 candidate protests taking place at other U S colleges Nestled in rural South Dakota majority of 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 Defense 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 A few students and faculty also announced they thought the honorary degree was too high an honor to bestow upon her Among DSU students a large number 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 revealed Students are afraid of making their voices heard Students studying in its renowned cybersecurity plan have traditionally been hesitant to take political stances because they fear anticipated blowback when they later seek establishment 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 multitude of of our students are from rural South Dakota and there s a bit of an unwillingness to confront authority Professor Emeritus Dale Droge disclosed We don t have very multiple 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 fresh DHS actions are weighing their participation options The agency had terminated the legal status of more than international students before reversing program and outlining a new initiative 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 noted Anden Wieseler a DSU junior and aspirant 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 comment 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 stated 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 Precaution 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 sought to share remarks with DSU s graduates based on her distinguished and ground-breaking career in general facility and her multiple efforts to help the citizens of the state of South Dakota and the nation Sogn declared 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 attendee senate voted against the nomination with only one of the participant senators voting in favor of the nomination Wiesler explained Fear of speaking out There is a fear among a lot of the international learner body on speaking on this matter just a development of the current political situation explained Tyler Sprik a freshman and attendee 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 Specific reported the administration discouraged them from speaking to media and joining scholar rallies Selected cited President Donald Trump s heightened scrutiny on higher schooling as reason for caution Other students stated 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 reported 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 community 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 multitude of institutions that people are afraid to speak freely even on issues like this of free speech and principles and ethics Droge explained These things aren t against the university in any way but it s about allowing people to speak their minds freely A few 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 pivotal to the students that are there stated Stephen Krebsbach a computer science professor Still plenty 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 disclosed This story corrects that Sogn did not address faculty protections in South Dakota