Michigan State University cancelled an annual Lunar New Year celebration following new executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion policies and concerns from students, according to emails obtained by The State News.
The event, hosted by the College of Communications Arts and Sciences and WKAR, was scheduled for noon Wednesday. But, the day before, the college’s DEI director sent an email announcing its cancellation.
“This decision comes in response to concerns shared by members of our community regarding the current issuance of Executive Orders related to immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion,” wrote Lauren Gaines in the email obtained by The State News. “These actions have prompted feelings of uncertainty and hesitation about gathering for events that highlight cultural traditions and communities.”
A few hours later, faculty received another email from the dean explaining the cancellation further and seemingly distancing the college from the decision.
“I ask you to view this decision not as a statement of policy, but rather as an appropriate on-the-ground response given a very short decision window and input from students who voiced concerns about gathering for this cultural celebration,” Dean Heidi Hennink-Kaminski wrote.
The email also suggests that some inside the college disagreed with the cancellation, with Hennink-Kaminski writing that she appreciates “faculty and staff who provided feedback about the decision.”
“Your comments are valued and will help to inform decisions going forward,” she wrote.
Hennink-Kaminski then touted a recent MSU DEI award given to her college, saying it showed how the “impact of the commitment is real,” in regards to DEI.
It’s unclear who exactly voiced the concerns that prompted the cancellation. Gaines’ email references “concerns shared by members of our community” while Hennink-Kaminski’s mentions “students who voiced concerns,” but neither said anything more specific.
Emails and calls seeking clarification from Gaines and Hennink-Kaminski were not returned at time of publication.
MSU’s central Institutional Diversity and Inclusion also did not respond to questions about if other events — such as MSU’s upcoming slate of Black History Month programming — would be cancelled.
The cancellation of the Lunar New Year event appears to be another step by MSU to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s promises to eliminate DEI on college campuses. He has signed a number of executive orders in recent days that defund such inclusion measures in the federal government and ask his executive departments to find ways to do the same in universities, nonprofits and corporations he doesn’t have direct authority over.
One such order, signed just before the cancelled event on Tuesday, targets MSU, among dozens of other schools, with Trump asking federal agencies to identify civil compliance investigations against universities with DEI programs and endowments above $1 billion.
The cancellation of the Lunar New Year event follows a postponement last week of a “Future of DEI Policy at MSU” panel discussion, a decision which similarly cited uncertainty around Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article inaccurately stated that the cancelled event was scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28. A since-deleted webpage for the event shows that it was actually scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Something more we should know? Reach the reporters at alex.walters@statenews.com or (248) 308-6235
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