Despite President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind transgender protections, COD administrators have no plans to alter any LGBT policies.

“The college will continue as a welcoming campus; one that sees good in our students and, above all, wants all students to feel included in this learning environment.  We are proud of the contributions members of Gay Pride Alliance, including transgender students, have made to our teaching and learning community.” Said Vice President, Student Affairs at College of DuPage, Earl Dowling.

On Feb. 22, President Trump announced that he would be rescinding protections of transgender students that allowed trans students to use the bathroom they identified with. This was a protection implemented by Former President Barack Obama, but it has clearly not lasted long under Trump’s very different administration.

The most surprising aspect of this issue was Betsy DeVos’s opposition to Trump’s rescindment. DeVos said it was a “moral obligation” to protect students from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Something she herself has been a victim to lately due to her lack of experience in education. However her opposition didn’t last long at all, Attorney General Jeff Sessions asked her to drop her opposition but she denied. Soon after though DeVos met with Trump in which she dropped her opposition.

Dowling also had this to say when asked how this change could affect students. “Absent specific federal instructions, I do not envision a significant shift in College policy.  For instance, we have four gender neutral bathrooms on campus.

“I am struck by the diversity of our student population every time I walk through campus.  The laughter, the music, the games, the serious discussions tell me that our students have found a way to expand their personal horizons and make their college, College of DuPage, an experience of a lifetime.”

I was lucky enough to talk to a few members of the Pride Alliance at COD and get their opinions. When asked how the change effected Trans students Kaleb Sedivy said, “I just feel bad for younger transgenders. I’m almost all the way through the process. So I really don’t have a stake in it anymore, but people who haven’t even started the process, it’s just really not fair for, because now it just makes their process even harder and longer to go through.”

This ruling still allows individual schools to choose whether they include transgender rights, but it’s the schools that choose not to that have those rights that has people worried. With this ruling Trump has essentially moved the responsibility to decide up to the states. This at times could cause problems because if some trans students use their respective bathroom in one state, it’s possible they couldn’t in a neighboring state.

The issue isn’t really limited to just a few states either; it’s a national problem. The issue is not just limited to say Illinois or Iowa, it’s every state. So when a national issue is resolved differently in different places, nothing really gets done or ends up making sense. The issue could’ve just been resolved by Trump acting federally but he choose not to.