DENVER – The Colorado Department of Higher Education is proud to stand alongside Colorado College in support of their new Healing and Affirming Village and Empowerment Network (HAVEN) Initiative that supports any student for the next two years who wants to leave institutions of higher education in five states with anti-diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) legislation–Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and North Dakota. These anti-DEI laws create unwelcome learning environments for students and stand directly at odds with our values to create a Colorado for All.
We urge all of our postsecondary institutions in Colorado to follow suit.
We commend Colorado College President L. Song Richardson for her powerful vision and making a postsecondary education more accessible to students, even if it means demonstrating courage when others would shy away.
Like Colorado College, CDHE wants to support the whole student. These laws are repressive, and in the face of adversity, we must stand together to end inequities and provide all the necessary support for students to thrive in our institutions, especially during the transfer process. We have to remove as many barriers as possible to allow students to access postsecondary education.
Given the endless potential for Colorado to be leaders in DEI work in higher education, we urge you to seriously consider implementing initiatives like HAVEN.
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