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 instruction Lynn Pasquerella president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities stated there are real world consequences to several of the latest 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 physiological trials she declared Pasquerella disclosed universities are not opposed to certain ruling body 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 citizens 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 stated She stated 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