The Poly Post Editorial Board, May 6, 2025
It’s hard to be excited for future prospects as we approach graduation with the state of our country in limbo.
The Trump administration’s constant attacks on immigrants, higher education, diversity, equity, and inclusion and the American people themselves have turned this exciting time sour, and the lack of response from the campus administration is nothing short of abhorrent.
Cal Poly Pomona is a Hispanic-serving institution. With that designation, university officials have a responsibility to our students to address fears, concerns and questions. Instead, there is a lack of information coming from campus administration. President Coley along with over 100 other university presidents signed a letter in April condemning the government overreach and higher education. What would normally be a meaningful and symbolic gesture is overshadowed what the fact that the university never told students that this happened and has yet to hold any form of dialogue with the students.
Well, some might argue that not all good acts need publicity we must push back and ask our university to loudly and publicly back students. A letter signed silently is nothing more than shouting into wind.
There have been no emails telling students where to go or who to reach out to. The last email sent March 28, that gave students anything of note, was prior to spring break advised international students not to travel home.
Due to budget cuts in the California State University system, some professors won’t speak to the media or choose to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation or losing their job.
The International Center staff have been advised not to speak to the press. The center has not published any public information for students. Related to students who had their visas revoked or now what’s happening to the students who had their visas revoked and then returned back to them over a random weekend.
Campus administration offered little to students in terms of information. The campus website claims the university offers “hands-on experiences that address real-life challenges.” Yet the university itself will not address real-life challenges like those faced by their students
As we prepare to walk across the stage in two weeks, students will face some of the worst economic prospects in history.
The state of the world, specifically our country, is becoming more and more concerning with each passing day. It is all too clear the federal government, and even some state-elected officials, are not acting in the best interest of the American people.
It is even more disheartening to know campus administration, the people who are supposed to ensure academic freedom and embody progression, are remaining silent.
In our time with The Poly Post, we have been critical of the current administration on campus, and as we know, that time is coming to a close. And while we still argue the campus administration still has many flaws, we compel them to work in the best interest of students and to ensure academic freedom and freedom of speech.
Fellow students and graduates, as we progress forward in some of the most tumultuous times in our country’s history, we, too, need to stand up as protectors of each other’s rights and freedoms. Everyone deserves the right to be educated without fear.
In the coming weeks, we will be bombarded with President Soraya M. Coley’s last commencement speeches. We will hear a bombardment of pleasantries. The focus will remain solely on our achievement and success. With a focused vigor that this is something we as students should be proud of and look forward to in our academic careers. We cannot let that distract us.
As graduates, we will be going out into the world, transitioning into our first jobs and hitting a series of new milestones as we progress beyond CPP. Now the spotlight is on us to be better and to be the change to hold institutions accountable. We are proud of the work our fellow students have done as protesters, as disruptors, as journalists and as students persevering through difficult times over the past four years.
As graduates, we need to continue to not stay silent and to stand up for those who need it. For students who will be continuing on, the pattern of disappointment, the lack of accountability and the overall mismanagement of university operations will not go away with Coley. It will be your job to continue to call out and push for change.
The achievements of students will not go away, and they will not go unnoticed. We must continue to fight well into the future.
Feature image by Connor Lālea Hampton
