The White House has sent a letter to nine universities inviting them to pledge their support for Donald Trump’s agenda in exchange for rewards, including substantial grant monies and increased overhead payments.
The nine schools, including the University of Virginia, were offered incentives if they adhere to the federal agreement, with oversight and adherence managed by the Department of Justice.
While there could be upsides when it comes to funding, critics say it would force campuses to toe the party line and punish those who won’t bend the knee.
Two organizations representing public school personnel and higher education faculty and staff have called the proposal a “loyalty oath,” and asked schools to reject collusion with the Trump administration and stand firmly on the side of free expression.
The American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers are encouraging all nine schools to stand together, arguing the compact would “turn a university administration into a weapon of the executive branch.”
Signing the compact, both said in a joint statement, would be a “profound betrayal” that would “irretrievable tarnish your personal reputation and compromise your institution’s legacy.”
The “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” lays out plans for a “unique relationship” requiring universities to bend to hot-button issues including trans athletes in college sports, political viewpoints of the faculty and students and pledge to create a culture that does not belittle or spark violence against conservative ideas.
The agreement also requires policies designed to prevent protests on campuses and to ensure students are not heckled by classmates for their political viewpoints.
In addition to UVA, the 10-page agreement was sent this week to:
- Brown University
- Dartmouth College
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Arizona
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Southern California
- University of Texas
- Vanderbilt University
The nine universities were selected to be what the White House calls “initial signatories” and each may provide feedback on the proposed agreement by Oct. 20. However, a decision is required by Nov. 21, and those who agree to “champion” Trumps agenda will be invited to the White House to finalize the language.
UVA Interim President Paul Mahoney has put together a group to review the letter, but according to a statement, the university “has not yet made any decision regarding the compact.”
The letter gives the institutions of higher learning the opportunity to reject the compact but says that doing so, the school elects to “forego federal benefits.”
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A White House special adviser told The Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration will grant priority to those who sign the agreement but that it won’t necessarily limit funding only to schools that agree to its demands.
The compact appears to be another attempt by the White House to mettle in higher education. It has already interfered in matters on college campuses including diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring practices and admissions and has worked to stifle free speech, including student-led pro-Palestinian protests.
Demands in the compact
- Equality in admissions: Sex, ethnicity, race, nationality, political views, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious associations should bot be considered in any decision related to admissions or financial support, exceptions granted for religious schools
- Foster a vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus: No single ideology should be dominant at university to include transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle and spark violence against conservative ideas; broad spectrum of viewpoints among faculty, students and staff within every field, department school and teaching unit
- Institutional neutrality: Policies should ensure all university representatives abstain from actions or speech related to societal and political events unless it has a direct impact upon the university
- Student equality: Requires single-sex spaces including bathrooms and locker rooms, and fair competition interpreting gender based on reproductive function
- Financial responsibility: Universities that receive federal funds must commit to freezing tuition rates charged to American students for the next five years; accept full transfer credits from military service members and veterans
- Foreign entanglements: Agree that no more than 15 percent of undergraduate student population will be enrolled through student visas, and no more than 5 percent from one country
Pushback to the compact
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a vocal critic of the current administration, is fighting back warning universities in the Golden State that if they sign “this radical agreement,” they’ll lose billions in state funding. “California will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers and surrender academic freedom,” he said.
Education advocates have also widely spoken out against the proposal urging universities to reject the agreement.
The Penn chapter of the AAUP likened the agreement to an attempt at coercion from the White House.
“When an invitation is accompanied by consequences for not accepting it, it is in fact a threat, not an invitation,” AAUP-Penn said in a statement.
“Penn must not allow itself to be threatened into ceding its self-determination. Whatever the consequences of refusal, agreeing would threaten the very mission of the University.”
The compact undermines the Civil Rights Act of 1964, redefines sex and gender according to rigid binaries incompatible with science and Penn’s values and is an attempt to impose government-approved views on the student body and faculty, AAUP-Penn said in a statement.
“Sacrificing our values … would irreparably damage the fabric of our university. Penn’s Latin motto, Leges Sine Moribus Vanae, is usually translated to “Laws Without Morals are Useless.” It is time to put that principle into practice,” the statement concluded.
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Crystal Graham
