Randi Weingarten AFT President | American Federation of Teachers
Thousands of students, faculty, and campus workers held teach-ins and rallies at nine universities in response to an offer from former President Donald Trump that would have given these institutions preferential treatment in exchange for agreeing to government oversight and adherence to certain ideological requirements. The events focused on the history of academic freedom in higher education and called on university administrators to reject what organizers described as an attempt to impose political loyalty through incentives.
The day of action follows recent decisions by the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California, which became the third and fourth universities to turn down Trump’s proposal. Organizers said that student groups representing nearly 1,000 campuses are now launching a national campaign to broaden protests at schools across the country.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) scheduled a national online teach-in about Trump’s proposed loyalty oaths.
“No amount of federal inducement is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent," said Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors. In rejecting Trump's attempts to coerce loyalty oaths from American colleges and universities, M.I.T., Brown, Penn, and USC stand as bulwarks for higher ed's sacred commitment to academic freedom and institutional self-governance. Trump's corrupt bribery attempt would usher in a new draconian era of thought policing in American higher education, cripple our technological innovation capacity, and assault our very democracy. Now is the time for all who care about the future of higher education to resist."
“At a time when higher education is under relentless political attack, the universities that refused to sign onto Trump’s Faustian bargain showed real courage and integrity,” said Randi Weingarten, president of AFT. “They chose to stand with students, educators, and the principles of academic freedom, institutional integrity, and the very soul of higher education instead of bowing to partisan pressure. It takes courage to stand up against authoritarian attacks on higher education. AAUP, AFT, our members, our students, and our communities are standing up and standing together—and it’s working.”
“Trump thought he could steamroll these nine schools and then make hundreds more fall in line,” said Simon Aron, a sophomore with Brown Rise Up. “He was wrong. Tens of thousands of students and workers fought back against Trump’s attacks and won. We won’t let Trump dictate what we are allowed to study and research, who is safe on campus, and what we can speak out about. When he comes for our campuses again, we’ll be ready.“
“Trump is following the authoritarian playbook to a 'T”, said Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. “He wants to silence dissent and make our schools his personal playground. He wants to dictate what students are allowed to study and research, who is safe on campus, and what students can speak out about. Students, workers, and alumni are joining together to refuse to cooperate with business as usual, and demand our institutions rebuff Trump’s attacks.”
"Young people are making their message very clear: universities should be a place of learning, not propaganda machines. That's why students, workers, and alumni around the country are taking action. And it's working. Already MIT, Brown, UPenn, and USC have rejected the compact. We stand strong in our belief that these campus teach ins and wider wave of action will lead all the remaining schools to reject it as well,” said Alicia Colomer, Managing Director at Campus Climate Network and former leader of Divest NYU.
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