USUSA Clubs claim censorship
Editors Note: This article was updated on Feb. 4 to reflect new information.
When the Utah State University Inclusion Center closed in July 2024 and its clubs became a part of the USUSA, the university website stated students would be “supported and operated consistent with the USUSA clubs and organizations’ policies and procedures.”
Instead, club presidents say they faced unhelpful leadership, little support or communication and harsher scrutiny than other USUSA clubs.
“It feels like the university is trying to remove any association with us and get us off campus,” said Yash Rivera, president of the Queer Student Alliance.
On Jan. 10, USU’s Black Student Union posted an image of their new logo, a wolf accompanied by the club’s name and the motto “Family and Loyalty.”
“You say we can’t wear your name anymore, so we choose our own. You say we can’t rock your logo, so we create a new symbol. Resilience. Family. Loyalty. We rise, we stand, we move—together,” the caption of the post read.
The BSU wasn’t alone. The QSA and Disabled Neurodiverse Aggies also changed their logos and handles on Instagram.
The changes came after the clubs received emails from Chynna Johns, USUSA clubs adviser and program coordinator. Johns told the presidents they were violating a section of the 29-page USUSA club handbook and they must remove university names and logos from their accounts.
Johns declined to comment and deferred to USU spokesperson Amanda DeRito.
The section reads, “Clubs are not to use any association of the Utah State name or logos, such as ‘USU,’ ‘Aggies,’ ‘Utah State University,’ the bull logo, etc.”
According to Rivera, choosing a new Instagram handle was difficult, as QSA is a common club name.
“We can’t say that we’re part of USU, but we still, in some ways, have to show that we’re related to USU, and that has a lot of complexity,” Rivera said.
The Utah Statesman found 86 clubs with Instagram accounts, with 77 using university names and/or logos.
“Student Involvement staff reviewed all the Instagram accounts for clubs listed in myUSU at that time in December,” wrote DeRito in an email to the Statesman. “They didn’t search out additional accounts for clubs. Other clubs that received the email include the Snow Club, Bigfoot Club, and Operation Smile, among others.”
The Snow Club and Bigfoot Club confirmed they were contacted. Operation Smile still has USU in its Instagram username.
Jade Velazquez, executive director of USUSA Clubs & Organizations, said the rule wasn’t enforced until this year.
“It’s always been in the handbook,” Velazquez said. “It wasn’t until this year where they’ve been really focused on infringement regarding the handbook.
Velazquez said she understood the push for more comprehensive enforcement as this year is the first the university faces a new audit from the state government.
The audit will assess public universities’ compliance with HB 261, the law which eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion measures in organizations receiving funding from the state.
“If we don’t comply with House Bill 261, the university does face budget cuts from 2% to 5%, which doesn’t seem that much to a student, but that is millions and millions of dollars taken away,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez explained she believed Johns emailed every club violating the social media policy but stated she was not involved.
Multiple club presidents have confirmed with the Statesman they never received an email from Johns about this, despite their social media accounts also violating USUSA’s guidelines. Almost 90% of club Instagram accounts violate the rule at time of publishing.
Presidents of these clubs described a pattern of inadequate communication from the USUSA. The BSU and DNA claim to have suddenly lost access to their club’s email accounts, receiving no warning or communication from the USUSA.
“There was no discussion ahead of time that it was canceled. We couldn’t notify our contacts that our email was getting disbanded,” Jenkins said. “We just couldn’t access our email when we tried.”
“Student clubs under USUSA do not have access to usu.edu email alias accounts,” DeRito wrote. “When the Inclusion Center was closed, the emails associated with the Inclusion Center clubs were also closed to comply with HB 261.”
Ollie Kay, president of DNA, said the email address was shut down over winter break, a semester after the Inclusion Center closed.
Typical club tasks like requesting funds or reserving rooms on campus became an uphill battle, according to club presidents.
“A lot of the rooms that we’ve tried to book with the university have been approved by the university, but then they will give us a reason for suddenly denying it,” Rivera said. “So, we will have a room set up, and then at the very last minute, we are no longer allowed to use that room because they needed it for classes, even though it’s not a classroom.”
The club presidents also described the transition into operating a USUSA club as confusing. According to Ta’Mariah Jenkins, BSU president, these clubs did not receive adequate training or preparation for the change.
“Sometimes the staff doesn’t even know what they’re doing,” Jenkins said. “And when we ask, we don’t get a lot of answers, so we’re constantly searching to find somebody.”
Jenkins said the university went beyond other colleges in the state in its attempts to comply with the new law.
“[Utah Valley University] kept their centers. They kept their organizations under different departments. There was a lot of room that could have been worked through in that bill that USU disregarded,” Jenkins said.
Rivera and Jenkins, both seniors, described watching support from the university decrease over their time at school.
“The entire time I’ve worked with QSA, we’ve always had issues,” Rivera said. “It doesn’t feel like the university is very supportive of our club, because they give us a lot of barriers that we always manage to kind of work around.”
Jenkins said her club was well supported in her first three years of school.
“The support we had before is gone,” she said.
“One of the bigger changes with the university and our club in the last few years has been the amount of support we’ve been able to get from our advisers and from faculty,” Rivera said.
Now, the QSA and BSU rely on other departments and local organizations.
“We do have communities that help us and do believe we matter. The Center for Community cares, the teachers care,” Jenkins said. “But Utah State University, as a school — we don’t matter to them, and that’s why we’ve been thrown to the side.”
The QSA has received funding and support for their events from the Logan Pride Foundation.
Rivera said following last year’s legislative session, he considered dropping out of school.
“I have a supportive community and so I’ve been able to manage it well, but I’ve had a lot of negative experiences as a queer student at USU,” Rivera said.
Jenkins and Rivera stressed the importance of clubs like theirs to marginalized student communities.
“It made me have a good experience at USU. It is inviting these other students to have a good experience,” Jenkins said.
According to Rivera, QSA communicates to queer students “that there is a space for them and that there is a community for them that’s available.”
DeRito wrote, “We recognize this is a very difficult transition year. We know student clubs under the Inclusion Center, unlike USUSA clubs, had access to specific space, a paid advisor, dedicated funds, and consistent mentorship. USU has sought to find a path for these clubs and organizations to continue while still complying with HB 261 and the enforcement guidance from the Utah System of Higher Education.”
According to DeRito, USU has invested in other resources and programs for students, such as Academic Belonging and Learning Excellence, the CARE Office and the new Center for Community, which focuses on cultural education.
“In the future, staff will send notices to all clubs and organizations to ensure they include any clubs that are inadvertently left out,” DeRito wrote.