Dr. Monique Guillory reassured students, faculty, and staff of the current state of Dillard University during a town hall meeting held on Jan. 28 after President Donald Trump announced a pause on all federal funding through grants and loans.
“I can’t say it enough, these are really unprecedented times. What we see happening in this country, on the federal landscape, we have never had to deal with this before,” said Dr. Guillory. “What we are seeing is so insidious, and so difficult to actually track and manage, that we really have to shift our focus internally,” she continued.
Students, staff, and faculty who spoke during the question and answer portion of the forum were receptive to Dr. Guillory’s remarks and agreed that Dillard University needs to take this moment and prioritize strengthening the university’s community to support one another.
”Don’t react irrationally, just hold your breath, wait, and we understand there [are] official working on behalf of our community, and things will be better. I’m sure it will be better,” said Dr. Abdalla Darwish, professor of physics.
The Dillard community is bracing itself for the uncertainty of the future and the best tool to combat it is within one another.
Kayla Hennigan, a senior student majoring in biology, challenged students to take care in building up the Dillard community by asking their professors and other Dillard University staff if they feel supported.
“I think when we talk about communities like Dillard or just the greater New Orleans area in general happiness as an individual commitment is out of the question. I think that it’s a huge community effort,” said Hennigan.
As Dillard University prepares to face a number of challenges, Dr. Guillory’s answer to preparation is maximizing the efficiency and marketing of the university so that Dillard may shine even in dark times.
Dr.Guillory said, “It will be about a community that is responsive to the realities that we are in and we’re not waiting for the government to figure out what they’re doing. We are fixing our internal challenges.”
