Amid fears of Trump DEI orders, MSU cancels Chinese New Year student lunch

• A typically low-key Chinese student lunch at MSU was canceled this year over worries about an anti-DEI executive order
• Students were worried about bringing attention to a diversity-oriented event 
• Universities are trying to navigate confusing orders coming from the administration of President Donald Trump

Lunar New Year celebrations had been low-key for years at Michigan State University, a lunch typically attended by about three dozen Chinese students to mark the first calendar day in the Chinese calendar.

But Wednesday’s event was abruptly canceled, sparked by fear and confusion over an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.

In a Tuesday email obtained by Bridge Michigan, Lauren Gaines, director of the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at MSU’s college of communications wrote, “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 (DEI). 

“These actions have prompted feelings of uncertainty and hesitation about gathering for events that highlight cultural traditions and communities,” the email continued. “We feel it is important to honor those concerns with sensitivity and care.”

The cancellation of a small student lunch in East Lansing is an example of the far-reaching effects of Trump’s anti-DEI efforts. In his first week in office, he signed an executive order calling for ending “diversity, equity, and inclusion" in organizations that receive federal funding and threatening DEI investigations of universities with more than $1 billion in endowments. That could include MSU ($4.4 billion endowment) and the University of Michigan ($18 billion) as possible targets.

The college of communications is one of 17 colleges at MSU. Officials said the tipping point in canceling the lunch was Chinese students who expressed concern about an event tied to one racial group, even though the lunch had been held previously four times with no complaints.

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Heidi Hennink-Kaminski, dean of the College of Communications Arts and Science, sent a follow-up email to faculty and staff late Wednesday, attempting to explain 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,” Hennink-Kaminski wrote.

Emily Guerrant, vice president for media and public information at MSU, told Bridge that statements in Washington and uncertainty about what comes next for immigration have scared international students.

“We have a lot of feelings of insecurity throughout our campus populations,” she said. “When you don’t know (what’s going to happen), there’s a fear. It’s been a really tense two weeks.”

There are 4,419 international students enrolled at MSU in the fall of 2024, with about 1,000 from China.

The Lunar New Year lunch is the second diversity-oriented event to be cancelled at MSU since Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20. 

Last week, a webinar titled “The future of DEI policy at MSU” was postponed, with no new date set.

Organizers said the university-sponsored event was delayed while the planned speakers — all university employees — tried to make sense of a flurry of orders coming from a new administration that has threatened public universities that do not back off DEI efforts.

Guerrant said the university remains committed to diversity, pointing out that the university’s DEI awards ceremony will be held in the near future, along with a ribbon cutting for a new Multicultural Center.

“Even in this time of uncertainty and concern, please have confidence that we will continue to move forward initiatives that celebrate our differences as well as recognize the core values that unite us, including treating each member of our community with dignity and respect,” wrote Hennink-Kaminski.