Dive Brief:

• The Trump Administration will not challenge a lawsuit from several states seeking to uphold facility restrictions for transgender students in bathrooms and locker rooms, The New York Times reported Monday. 
• Critics slammed the move as a discriminatory action against transgender students who deserve equal protections, and view the decision as a potential precursor to a Supreme Court decision which could uphold the restrictions.  
• The White House abstention reverses course from a previous decision, which upheld the rights of transgender employees to use the bathroom of their choice.

Dive Insight:

Colleges remain at the center of laws which they cannot control and in many ways which they cannot enforce, but they have the obligation to serve as the hubs of intellectual and social goodwill. When faced with policies which impact campus climate or equality, presidents and leaders must ensure that the position of the campus is clear while respect and adherence to the law will be maintained. 

President can expect protests and ill-will from students and advocates, and should begin having the conversations now with student activists about their positions and ways in which their dissatisfaction can be heard without tempers flaring or controversy stemming from their actions.