In times of great change, who do the changes actually serve?

The stories in this issue begin under a context of a shared, national movement, one that is reshaping how academic institutions talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Since 2025, the current federal administration has taken steps to limit or discourage DEI programs in federally funded institutions, including guidance that restrict how race can be considered in admissions and student support services, building on the 2023 Supreme Court decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. In response, some institutions have reduced DEI initiatives, while others have adjusted programming to minimize risk, contributing to a world in which higher education is actively reevaluating how it supports DEI. 

At St. Olaf College, this moment is not entirely distant. It is present in admission numbers and financial aid messaging. Others appear in the majors that grow or shrink, in the housing that accommodates students from different backgrounds and abilities, and in the very language used in our classrooms. Whether we acknowledge it or not, these everyday decisions signal who belongs and how. 

In The Olaf Messenger’s first special edition issue, “DEI in Transition,” our staff has spent the last few months gathering stories that explore these shifts from multiple angles, examining institutional priorities and student experience on campus. 

At the center of many of these questions is the role of the liberal arts education itself. The liberal arts is often defined by its commitment to breadth, to inquiry, to the development of critical thinking that can be applied beyond any one school of thought. As student journalists learning in this environment, our aim is not to offer definite answers, but to simply make visible the tension that has arisen during this moment, even if many wish to remain in a bubble. 

We invite you to read closely, to consider where you see yourself within these shifts, and to think about how change affects the people around you as much as it affects you.

Thank you, 

The Olaf Messenger Executive Team 

Maya Betti, Kenzie Nguyen, and Ashlyn Wuench