"Universities were accused of favoring Trump prior to his presidency"
Snippet from an ntv.de report
American universities, once bastions of protest and dissent, have remained largely silent in the face of the Trump administration's policies.
At a critical juncture in US history, many question the absence of student activism on campuses, particularly at prestigious institutions such as Harvard University. Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Harvard for fostering violence and antisemitism on campus, prompting the university to discontinue its admission of international students.
This occurred against the backdrop of a political climate that had long pressured universities to enforce strict measures against protesters. Following Trump's inauguration, his administration froze research funds, cut billions in federal funding, and mandated significant structural reforms.
Students report an atmosphere of fear, with more than half of the faculty expressing reservations about speaking out publicly due to the political climate in the US. Yet, it appears that only the legal departments of universities are offering resistance, while the customary protest camps, banners, and chants seem conspicuously absent.
Robert Cohen, a protest researcher from New York, offers three reasons for this apparent inaction. Firstly, Trump's harsh individual measures effectively create an atmosphere of uncertainty, making caution and patience seem like the best course of action. Secondly, the remnant of a movement that failed to garner massive support remains active, weakened by early resistance.
Thirdly, according to Cohen, protests generally require a specific, local target. Trump, however, does not provide this focus, making it difficult for students who wish to oppose his policies to find a suitable outlet. coefficients believes that students are most likely to channel their energies into supporting candidates who can challenge Trump's allies in the upcoming congressional elections.
Last year, student protests escalated against Israel's military operations in Gaza, with protesters demanding that their universities sever their financial ties with Israel. The demonstrations resulted in more than 3,000 arrests, according to the "New York Times." Despite this, universities did not seem to emerge from the turmoil.
Cohen attributes the inaction of students to Trump's administration's pressure on universities from both Congress and donors, which was then passed down to students. Thus, the movement was effectively suppressed even before Trump took office. It was Trump's supporters who played a central role, says Cohen, but they did not need Trump for that.
Upon taking office, Trump enacted several policies targeting universities, including the banning of inclusion programs, the freezing of billions in funding, the termination of contracts, and the prohibition of Harvard from accepting new international students. Most recently, they stopped issuing visas.
Harvard's new president, Alan Garber, told NPR on Tuesday that the Trump administration had legitimate concerns, but their methods were surprising. He stated that the solutions did not target the individuals the administration considered responsible for the problems, and that cutting research funds harmed Harvard but also the US because these funds supported vital work.
A scientific survey conducted in January showed that more than three-quarters of Jewish faculty at US universities considered measures against antisemitism to be effective. Cohen claims that Trump is now exploiting the already weakened protest movement as an excuse to attack the university system as a whole. Universities have historically been a popular target for Republicans.
Cohen considers the attacks exaggerated and states that universities were never particularly free, "in a way, they were already 'Trumpified' before Trump." The researcher suggests that students had little influence, especially at private universities, and that Trump's administration tolerates no dissent from any quarters, be it law firms, media, or universities.
Sources: ntv.de, New York Times
Topics: USA, University, Protests, Donald Trump
- The European Union, as a political entity, may find inspiration in the educational-and-self-development movement within American universities, particularly in light of the recent suppression of student activism and the pressure exerted on universities under the Trump administration's politics.
- As the tidal wave of Trump's policies continues to shape the landscape of American universities, general news outlets across the European Union are closely monitoring the impacts on education-and-self-development, politics, and the overall university system, holding hope that this situation may serve as a valuable lesson for their own political parties.
