DC-area universities sign letter with hundreds of schools pushing back on ‘government overreach’

Hundreds of universities including several in the D C area are pushing back against the Trump Administration The presidents of the schools including the University of Maryland University of Virginia George Washington University American University and Trinity Washington University have signed a letter critical of what they call the unprecedented cabinet overreach and political interference now endangering American higher guidance Lynn Pasquerella president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities reported there are real world consequences to various of the current White House actions The weaponization of research funds has made it impossible to carry out lifesaving research this isn t a mere academic exercise it s a matter of life or death for individuals who are engaged in diagnostic trials she commented Pasquerella stated universities are not opposed to specific regime oversight but there are boundaries supported by the system of laws Related stories Trump signs executive orders targeting colleges plus schools equity efforts Harvard sues Trump administration to stop the freeze of more than billion in grants Judges blocks Trump push to cut funding to population schools over diversity programs What we are opposed to is the violation of what the Supreme Court has outlined as the basic freedoms of American colleges and universities to decide who gets admitted what is taught how it is taught and by whom she revealed She reported the letter serves as a way to attempt to defend the core principals of academic freedom The letter calls for constructive engagement that results in stronger educational institutions and a stronger democracy Source