RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – South Dakota Mines is aiming to raise $250,000 during its fourth annual Raising for Rockers give-a-thon, a 24-hour fundraising event supporting academic departments, student programs and hands-on learning initiatives.

The event runs noon Feb. 18 to noon Feb. 19, bringing together alumni, faculty, staff and supporters to contribute to 20 different initiatives that enhance the overall student experience.

Bailey Ellis, director of annual giving for the Center for Alumni Relations and Advancement, said the fundraiser is an opportunity for the Hardrocker community to make a direct impact on student success.

“This is a great opportunity for the Hardrocker community to come together and support academic departments and other initiatives that enhance the educational experience for our students,” Ellis said.

This year, donors have an added challenge: CARA will unlock a $6,250 nationwide match if donations are received from all 50 states.

Funds raised support a wide range of priorities, including student professional development, upgraded learning environments and opportunities for hands-on experiences across campus.

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Wisconsin’s population is on the rise, but the rate of growth has slowed over the past year amid a plunge in international migration to the state, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

As of July 2025, Wisconsin had 5,972,787 residents, the Census Bureau reported Jan. 27. That’s about 15,000 residents – or about 0.26% – more than in 2024. That growth rate is nearly half what it was the year before and the lowest of the post-pandemic years so far.

Wisconsin is not alone in the trend. Nationwide population growth also slowed significantly in 2025 due to a dip in international migration. The year saw President Donald Trump begin a sweeping crackdown on immigration, which has involved everything from halting refugee programs to revoking protected status for hundreds of thousands of migrants.

In Wisconsin, the latest estimates show the number of international migrants coming to the state fell by more than 62% in 2025.

Here’s what else the Census Bureau report found.

Wisconsin’s population growth rate falls to lowest since pandemic

After several years of post-pandemic recovery, Wisconsin’s population growth in 2025 was its lowest since 2021, according to Census Bureau estimates.

The state’s 0.26% population growth rate was down from about 0.45% in 2023 and 2024, and 0.36% from 2022. Nationally, population growth halved last year, with the country’s population growing by 0.5%, or 1.8 million residents, compared to 1%, or 3.2 million residents, in 2024.

Various projections have predicted a long-term decline of Wisconsin’s population. In early 2025, the Department of Administration projected most Wisconsin counties would face a shrinking population by 2050, with an estimated statewide loss of nearly 200,000 residents.

Milwaukee County, though, defied these expectations when its population grew for the first time in a decade in 2024. The county’s population reached just under 925,000 residents as of July 1, 2024, which was up by 2,880 people, or 0.31%, from the prior year. The slight growth came after the county lost about 15,000 residents between 2020 and 2024 – the most of any Wisconsin county in that time period.

The Census Bureau has not yet released county population data for 2025.

More: Milwaukee logged lowest number of births on record in 2025, what’s behind the trend

After reaching record levels in 2024, international migration plunges

For both Wisconsin and the country, a rapid decline in international migration is driving the slowdown in population growth.

The drop comes after migration to Wisconsin reached the highest level in two decades in 2024, largely spurred by people moving to the state from other countries, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Between July 2023 and June 2024, Wisconsin saw about 19,300 international migrants and about 5,800 domestic migrants move to the state.

In contrast, between June 2024 and July 2025, the number of international migrants dropped to 7,200 – the lowest since 2020. Nationwide, the number of international migrants fell by more than 50% from 2.7 million to 1.3 million last year.

The latter half of that yearlong period saw the Trump administration start its nationwide crackdown on immigration, including in Wisconsin.

For several years, global unrest drove people to the U.S. and Wisconsin: The fall of Kabul in Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a national and local influx of refugees from those countries. Biden-era sponsorship of immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela also allowed more legal immigrants, and Milwaukee in particular became a hub for Burmese refugees from Myanmar.

FIRST ON FOX: An Illinois school district filled with faculty who celebrated and hoped for the death of Charlie Kirk was exposed for their 2026 equity framework plan the district “aspires to” that includes hiring and retaining staff with “diverse backgrounds” and mandated DEI training sessions for faculty and students. 

Defending Education uncovered Oswego District 308’s equity roadmap through several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, which brought to light an annual report summary on DEI as well as the district’s DEI plan for 2026.

One FOIA request detailing an equity report showed that a middle school in the district divided students by racial background, without notifying parents, as part of equity training sessions for staff in 2025.

The equity director wrote after the session, which was held during “Student Support Time,” that she identified the “challenges with being discriminated against based on color” and that her next session would be with “those who identify as White.”

Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital that the district’s move to divide students into races could be considered “segregation.”

“Calling it a racial affinity group is just a nicer way of saying racial segregation—these equity assemblies that divide up students by their skin color are without justification, not to mention illegal,” Sanzi explained. “Regardless of the intention, the ideology behind race-based programs and activities in schools is destructive and needs to be rooted out.”

The equity report also showed that high school departments held “specific content/equity” trainings, where students could engage in opportunities like a lunch and learn about “LGBTQ+, Migroaggressions, Ramadan.” 

Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a report from the Kendall County Times revealed that Jadon A. Waller, the district’s superintendent of equity and engagement of grades K-8, posted to Facebook referring to Kirk as a “modern day Klans man.”

“I’m seeing a lot of Black folks on here interjecting themselves into the death of a modern day Klans man… and I have to say I’m confused and disappointed. Who are you trying to make comfortable? Cause it’s making me uncomfortable.”

Waller posted under the name Ashley Jadon on Facebook, according to the report.

Per the school district’s website, Waller is still employed at Oswego District 308.

Waller did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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As for the 2026 outlook, the report showed plans for DEI training in elementary and middle schools and a DEI Design Team to “analyze and address inequities within student academic achievement” and student discipline. 

In an “indicators of success” rubric where results will be reflected in the following year’s report, the district calls for elementary and junior high school’s teacher leaders and administrators to “facilitate at least two of their own DEI trainings by the end of the year.”

The Illinois school district also plans to “partner with surrounding districts and Waubonsee Community College to host our 1st DEI Conference called ASCEND!”

One equity statement says the district “will acknowledge the existence of racism in our schools and community,” and “we will address injustices that lead to racial inequities and work to educate and change behaviors” to promote inclusivity.

In addition to pushing DEI in the classroom, the recruitment and retention portion of the plan pushes the district to “prioritize” diverse hires.

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“We will prioritize the recruitment, retention, and advancement of administrators and staff with diverse backgrounds to ensure our team of educators reflects our student body,” the framework reads.

A job posting for a high school principal in the school district obtained by Defending Education says “the right candidate” should be “prioritizing equity and rightful presence… across the district.”

Oswego District 308’s commitment to DEI doesn’t stop there. The district proposed a $75,000 grant to the Board of Education to establish a partnership with an organization for a residency program that “recruits and retains new teachers who reflect the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the communities we serve.”

From October 2023 to March 2024, during a previous partnership between the district and a separate organization, the school district spent taxpayer dollars on DEI supplies, including pride parade stickers and a pride parade fee to participate.

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The previous partnership held training sessions for district personnel and students where participants were asked to read “How Privileged Am I” and rank themselves on how privileged they are. 

“Generate a privilege list related to P-12 settings for the student and adult educator group assigned to your team by listing ways students and adults may experience systems of advantages or rights that are available to them solely based on their social identities,” the training instructions read.

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While these training sessions were held in the Illinois school district, the organization carries out similar exercises through partnerships with state and local educational agencies across the country. 

Oswego District 308 did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston