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University of Wyoming (UW) leaders say they'll comply with significant changes to the state laws and federal mandates that govern campus life.

On the state level, one new law prohibits UW from hosting events that promote diversity or inclusivity, while another will force it to allow concealed carry of firearms in most buildings. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is also looking to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and slash the federal spending that keeps universities like UW afloat.

Responding to these developments, UW announced this week that new rules will "likely not allow" the Women in STEM and Latina Youth Conferences, which have been hosted at UW for the last 25 years.

According to the Laramie Reporter, the STEM conference is being reimagined and will continue under a new gender-neutral name. The Latina Youth Conference’s immediate future is uncertain.

A campuswide email from UW President Ed Seidel outlined this and other changes the university would be making to comply with the crackdown on DEI.

While the president pointed to a lengthier analysis of what the institution must do to comply with the new legal mandates, he pulled out several key points in a bulleted list, shared in full here:

• Due to the recent federal guidance, use of state or non-state dollars for centers, services, support groups, seminars and events that are exclusionary or preferential (in mission or in title) related to sex or race is likely not allowed. This includes gender-based programs such as Women in STEM activities, even if the activity is open to all.
• Based on that same federal guidance, the use of state or non-state funding to continue summer institutes and programming that are exclusionary or preferential related to sex or race is likely not allowed, even if programming is open to all. This includes UW's Latina Youth Conference.
• Student organizations are not considered part of the university. As a result, they may organize based on identity, as long as anyone is allowed to be a member and participate in the organization's activities.
• Faculty and staff members may continue to be advisers for any registered student organization, but only as long as the duties are not part of the employee's job description and are done on a voluntary basis.
• University units may continue to sponsor or assist with expenses of registered student organizations, as long as there is a legitimate business purpose and the student organization’s mission or title is not exclusionary or preferential related to sex or race.
• In general, payment of dues and fees for membership in professional organizations is an allowable university expense if the organization materially contributes to the mission of the university or membership is required as a condition of employment. However, it is not allowable to use state or non-state funds for payment of dues or fees for membership in professional societies that are preferential or exclusionary based on sex or race (in mission or title, even if they are open to all).

In another notable change not detailed by the email, the university cut ties with the Ph.D. Project. The project aims to help underrepresented students pursue doctoral degrees, and its connection to the UW College of Business landed the university in the crosshairs of the U.S. Department of Education, which has been seeking to root out DEI.

The Department launched an investigation into UW and nearly 50 other academic institutions earlier this month. The investigation stems from an anonymous complaint and comes after right-wing activists put a spotlight on the program in January.

UW said it was already examining that partnership as a potential violation of its own rules, that it would cooperate with any investigation and that it was severing its ties to the organization.

March trustees meeting

During the March Board of Trustees meeting, UW’s governmental relations VP Mike Smith said there’s a lot of national interest in universities right now.

"I would say we welcome it," Smith said. "We welcome that attention, and we embrace it, because we have a lot of great things happening here. We have a great story to tell."

During a brief, wide-ranging update, Seidel highlighted one new federal policy that could significantly harm the university’s research activities.

The Trump administration has proposed limiting overhead costs to 15% of all research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. These indirect costs support everything around the research itself, and scientists across the country say a hard limit of 15% will slow or grind to a halt medical research at even elite institutions.

During the board meeting on March 27, Seidel said about 45% of UW’s current research grants are payments for indirect costs.

"We're concerned. We're following it. We're making our voices heard," he said. "And I just want to say that we're on it."

Another federal proposal — one that is currently being litigated — seeks to root out DEI in all federally funded research projects, potentially imperiling projects across a wide range of disciplines.

UW has set up a public webpage to follow all of the funding changes coming out of D.C.

Seidel also touted promising early figures for next year's enrollment, a recent Super Bowl ad featuring UW alum Josh Allen that could be boosting those figures, the university's efforts to ramp up its AI research and the imminent completion of UW's new, modern dorm halls, which will house its first students in the fall.

Responding to other federal developments, UW issued guidance to its employees this week about how to handle visits from ICE or other federal agencies. Under Trump, ICE has been empowered to enter sensitive areas, like churches, schools and college campuses.

Another big change coming to UW: Wyoming repealed gun-free zones this year. In doing so, it unraveled an existing ban on concealed carry in UW buildings. The change goes into effect in July.