CU News
News from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Federal Funding Cuts Hit CU Boulder’s DEI Programs: Why Prioritize Diversity Over American Workers
Oct 5th
By Boulder Channel 1 News October 5, 2025 In a stark blow to educational equity at the University of Colorado Boulder, federal funding for decades-old diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has been slashed, raising tough questions: Why were these initiatives favored over programs directly benefiting everyday American citizens? And why weren’t all communities truly included from the start?
The Bilinguals United for Education and New Opportunities (BUENO) Center learned in September it would forfeit over $3 million in Department of Education grants. This includes $1.76 million for the 35-year-old College Assistance Migrant Program, aiding Colorado’s seasonal farm workers—many U.S. citizens from marginalized Latino families—in pursuing higher education. Another $1.32 million vanished for a 49-year master’s program training bilingual teachers in rural Colorado, addressing shortages in underserved areas. Notices cited misalignment with the Trump administration’s priorities, halting five-year cycles midway.
Executive Director Tania Hogan called it “frustrating,” noting the cuts threaten nine staff jobs and two consultants without CU Boulder’s emergency bridge funding. “These programs give access to historically marginalized communities,” Hogan said, emphasizing culturally responsive support for students and rural educators. Yet, as the center pivots to donors and foundations, one 
wonders: If DEI was meant to uplift all Americans, why fund migrant scholarships and rural bilingual training while broader citizen workforce programs—like vocational training for native-born blue-collar families—languish?The ripple effects extend campus-wide. CU Boulder reports 57 grant terminations totaling $30 million as of Sept. 24, amid 1,821 active awards. The Center for Asian Studies lost $537,000 for student fellowships, teacher salaries, and K-12 Asia programming, deemed not advancing “American interests.” Director Danielle Rocheleau Salaz warns of reduced global workforce prep, vital for national security and economy. “We’re not in a world where the U.S. can pull back,” she said, as positions and outreach wind down.
wonders: If DEI was meant to uplift all Americans, why fund migrant scholarships and rural bilingual training while broader citizen workforce programs—like vocational training for native-born blue-collar families—languish?The ripple effects extend campus-wide. CU Boulder reports 57 grant terminations totaling $30 million as of Sept. 24, amid 1,821 active awards. The Center for Asian Studies lost $537,000 for student fellowships, teacher salaries, and K-12 Asia programming, deemed not advancing “American interests.” Director Danielle Rocheleau Salaz warns of reduced global workforce prep, vital for national security and economy. “We’re not in a world where the U.S. can pull back,” she said, as positions and outreach wind down.Similarly, the Latin American and Latinx Studies Center saw a $250,000 grant shuttered and a $150,000 NEH award rescinded, crippling undergrad courses and indigenous language expansion. Faculty Director Joe Bryan lamented the hit to “small but essential” funding.These cuts expose a DEI paradox: Billions poured into targeted ethnic and international programs, yet American citizens in heartland communities—veterans, rust-belt families, rural whites—often sidelined. Why the selective inclusion? If equity means all, why not balance with citizen-first initiatives like trade apprenticeships or domestic STEM for underrepresented regions? As CU scrambles for private funds, the debate intensifies: Was DEI ever about every American, or just some?
No more Columbus Day Boulder Announces 2025 Indigenous Peoples Day Events
Oct 2nd
Boulder replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day to acknowledge the devastating impact of colonization and honor the resilience and continued existence of Indigenous peoples. The movement to replace the holiday gained traction due to recognition of Christopher Columbus’s record of enslavement and violence against native populations and was supported by community members and Indigenous leaders. 
Events honor the existence, culture and contributions of the original inhabitants of North America.
BOULDER, Colo. – Each year, the City of Boulder provides support to organizations that recognize Indigenous Peoples Day through events and celebrations honoring the existence, culture and contributions of the original inhabitants of North America. Through this support, the city and its community partners work to promote knowledge about Indigenous Peoples and honor the city’s Indigenous Peoples Day Resolution. The City of Boulder recognizes the second Monday in October each year as Indigenous Peoples Day.
This year, the city’s Housing and Human Services department and Office of Arts and Culture have provided funding for several community events to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day 2025. Community events are free and open to the public. Find information provided by event organizers below.
- Sunday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Breaking Barriers to Native Education For All
- Where: Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302
- Details: Right Relationship Boulder Presents Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2025: “Breaking Barriers to Native Education for All.” This event will foster cross-generational connections through Native-led panels, art, education, and healing activities, highlighting local Native voices and perspectives. Attendees will engage with interactive discussions, a Native art market, education resource fair, and food vendors, while learning to support Native-designed curricula and commit to building lasting, inclusive community relationships.
- Free tickets are recommended but not required.
Sunday, Oct. 12 from time 12 to 6 p.m. – Indigenous People’s Day Celebration
- Where: Mi Chantli, 1750 30th St. Boulder, CO 80301
- Details: La Vecindad presents an Indigenous People’s Day Celebration that will feature art, music, dance, food, workshops, and storytelling to honor and reclaim Indigenous heritage, language, and wisdom. Highlights include Danza Azteca, bookmaking and printmaking workshops, a tamale tasting competition, tortilla-making stations, traditional foods, community elder talks, and a performance by Los Mocochetes.
- Sunday, Oct. 12 from 2 to 5 p.m. – Indigenous People’s Day: Games, Poetry, and Ancestral Mathematics
- Where: Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80302
- Details: Presented by Luna Cultura, this event will include food and live music; a lecture on Mother Earth teachings from Indigenous oral tradition; a poetry and storytelling workshop; an ancestral mathematics session creating the Nepohualtzintzin; play-based healing activities; and community connection time with closing reflections. It celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day by honoring Indigenous legacies in science, art, and literature while fostering intercultural, intergenerational dialogue and blending art and science for holistic personal and community well-being.
- Register online.
- Sunday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. – The Boulder Roots Music Festival – Indigenous People’s Day Showcase
- Where: Savannah Bee Company Stage, 1222 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302
- Details: Presented by Roots Music Project, this event will include performances by Indigenous artists, showcasing diverse cultural music traditions and personal stories to amplify Indigenous voices. This programming will create an accessible, vibrant space for the community to deepen appreciation of Indigenous culture and its influence on contemporary music.
In 2016, the Human Relations Commission and community members drafted the Indigenous Peoples Day Resolution (Resolution No. 1190), which was presented at the Aug. 2, 2016, Boulder City Council meeting and adopted by the City of Boulder. It declared the second Monday of October of each year to be Indigenous Peoples Day. The resolution also guides the city’s ongoing collaboration with American Indian Tribal Nations and ongoing work to correct omissions of Indigenous Peoples’ presence in places, resources and cultural programming.
For additional information about Indigenous Peoples Day visit the city’s website.
The City of Boulder appreciates the opportunity to listen and learn from American Indian Tribal Nations who are collaborating with the city on several ongoing projects, including the proposed new Healing Trail that has a community connection to the Sand Creek Massacre. For information on the city’s ongoing collaboration with Tribal Nations, please visit our Tribal Engagement and Consultation webpage.
Petition to Reopen Investigation into CU Boulder Student’s Death Gains Traction
Aug 28th
Boulder, CO – August 28, 2025 – A petition urging authorities to revisit the investigation into the death of University of Colorado Boulder student Megan Trussell has garnered over 1,000 signatures, fueled by ongoing concerns from her family and supporters. The 18-year-old’s death in February 2025 was officially ruled a suicide by the Boulder County Coroner’s Office, but questions about the case persist, prompting calls for further scrutiny.
Megan Trussell was found deceased near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon Drive on February 15, 2025, six days after she was last seen leaving her dorm, Hallett Hall, on February 9. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office determined her death resulted from the toxic effects of amphetamine, with hypothermia as a contributing factor, classifying it as a suicide. The ruling was based on toxicology results, undigested prescription medication found during the autopsy, and other investigative findings, according to Coroner Jeff Martin.
Trussell’s family, led by her mother Vanessa Diaz, disputes the suicide determination, citing what they believe are inconsistencies in the investigation conducted by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). Diaz has pointed to details such as Trussell’s purse being found nearly six miles from her body and her body missing one shoe. Additionally, some of Trussell’s belongings were found scattered in the area near homeless encampments along Boulder Canyon Drive during the week her body lay undiscovered. Detectives interviewed members of the local unhoused community and recovered items, including Trussell’s phone, which was sold at a resale kiosk by an individual who claimed no direct contact with her. The BCSO concluded there was no evidence of foul play involving those interviewed.
The Change.org petition, launched by Trussell’s cousin Rebecca Perez, calls on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Attorney General Phil Weiser to reopen the case. The petition gained significant traction following the release of the University of Colorado Police Department (CUPD) case report on August 25, 2025, which outlined how investigators determined Trussell walked from her dorm to the location where her body was found in approximately one hour and 15 minutes. The family questions how she could have made this journey alone, given the distance, terrain, and scattered belongings.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office described the situation as “heartbreaking” but has not commented further on the petition. Sheriff Curtis Johnson previously stated that the investigation, which involved CUPD, the FBI, and local forensic teams, was thorough. The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office supported this conclusion, stating, “Our review included the Coroner’s determination, autopsy findings, police reports, witness interviews, video evidence, cellphone data, and more.” They found no evidence to support a criminal case.
Diaz remains resolute in seeking answers. “When I hear about support like this, it just makes me feel so uplifted and hopeful,” she said of the petition. The family has hired a private investigator and lawyer and is pursuing an independent autopsy. They are also distributing care packages to the unhoused community in hopes of gathering new information about Trussell’s final days.
The CU Boulder community continues to grapple with the loss. “This has been an incredibly difficult time,” said Interim Chief of Police John Monahan. The university has made counseling and support services available to students and staff.
As the petition circulates, the family awaits further testing of the pill material found in Trussell’s stomach, hoping it will provide clarity. The investigation remains closed, but the sheriff’s office has indicated it could be reopened if new evidence emerges.
For those in need of support, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office encourages contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
Channel 1 News, Boulder
