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Lair ’28: Trump’s executive orders require a collective response in higher education

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In a Tuesday email, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and Provost Francis Doyle described the current state of higher education as “a moment of tremendous uncertainty.” The administrators echoed the feelings of many Americans nationwide following the release of the Trump administration’s jarring memo that halted nearly all federal grants and loans. The Monday memo has since been rescinded, but Trump’s reckless executive orders are far from over. 

The hasty reversal of this policy reaffirms the chaotic nature of the 47th president’s plans for his second term. Trump has made it clear that he intends to undermine institutions of higher education beyond what is historically permissible, and U.S. universities must be prepared to respond quickly. We need a Brown-led higher education defense coalition that is equipped to fight ongoing attacks against American college campuses.

At the 2021 National Conservatism Conference, Vice President JD Vance delivered a speech entitled “The Universities are the Enemy.” Vance described colleges and universities as “hostile institutions,” and claims that the conservative movement has to “honestly and aggressively attack the universities” in order to materialize their agenda. 

The Trump administration has readily embraced Vance’s anti-education agenda, as its directives seek to threaten the removal of federal financial assistance and grants in an effort to control universities. Trump has also continued his crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, especially those in higher education. The exact enforcement and implementation of these orders have not yet materialized, but it is certain that the White House is committed to restricting the autonomy of higher education through financial manipulation. 

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Universities across the nation are gearing up to counter Trump’s attacks, many building a presence in Washington, D.C. or employing lobbyists to discourage proposed endowment taxes, research defunding and other impediments on university operations. To champion themselves as true defenders of education for all Americans, well-endowed private universities — Brown included — must initiate a collective defense of educational rights that goes beyond sending lobbyists to Capitol Hill. The Ivy League and other well-resourced institutions should assemble a team of attorneys, scholars and administrators ready to take action against the White House should the administration continue to threaten U.S. education. 

A group of nonprofit organizations and small businesses launched a joint suit against President Trump’s federal funding pause, leading to a temporary halt in its enforcement. The attorneys general of 22 states and Washington D.C. also leaped to oppose the memo. The White House cited these court battles as cause for the memo’s repeal, showing that collective legal action is not only viable, but effective. 

Simply put, there is power in numbers, especially when those “numbers” already have a wide scope of influence and extensive access to legal resources. A team of representatives from an array of universities will be better prepared to act quickly and effectively than institutions individually fighting President Trump’s executive policies.

In their email to the Brown community, President Paxson and Provost Doyle asserted that administrators “are also prepared to exercise (their) legal right to advocate against laws, regulations or other actions that compromise Brown's mission.” To materialize this commitment, Brown should emulate the successful strategy of group advocacy used to thwart Trump’s most harmful agenda goals. To pragmatically “advocate” against regulations, the University should launch collaborative and immediate lawsuits that defend the integrity of higher education and the liberties of students across the nation. Saying you’re prepared to “advocate against laws” is a nice gesture, but leading a collaborative effort among peer institutions to bring effective legal action truly demonstrates your commitment to the University’s values

CJ Lair ’28 can be reached at craig_lair @brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

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CJ Lair

CJ Lair is a staff columnist at the Brown Daily Herald. He is from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and plans to study Political Science at Brown. This is his first year writing for a publication, and is especially interested in political developments and their impacts on the Brown community.



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