Donald Trump is tempting nine elite colleges with a dangerous deal to promote toxic rightwing ideas on campus. In return for federal funding, these institutions would be required to commit to a set of general standards or principles stipulated in a 10-point “compact.” This plan was formally announced by the White House on Wednesday.
The compact places a number of noteworthy requirements on the schools. Further, it requires the school to stop using race or sex as a factor in admissions and hiring. The deal calls for a tuition fee freeze over five years. More significantly, it introduces a hard cap, restricting the share of international undergraduates at 15%. These steps are just one piece of Trump’s larger plan to chill academic environments nationwide.
This national initiative includes these nine highly competitive research universities. They are Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University, and the University of Virginia. May Mailman, a senior adviser to the White House, explains that these institutions were chosen intentionally. They go by the name of “good actors.”
Critics of the compact have raised strong criticisms about its effect on free speech and academic freedom. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, voiced alarm over government involvement in determining the intellectual climate of universities.
“Who decides if the intellectual environment is vigorous and open-ended? This is not something the federal government should be involved in.” – Ted Mitchell
Cornell William Brooks, a visiting professor at Harvard Kennedy School, described the compact as a “weapon to impose command and control.” In particular, he stressed its far-reaching implications. He slammed the administration’s tactic. He noted that it is eerily similar to the previous move of ending federal grants to retaliate against diversity advocates at Harvard.
“The same administration that terminated federal grants to punish diversity groups at Harvard is now using federal grants to reward colleges for favoring conservative groups.” – Cornell William Brooks
Trump’s ongoing attack on elite universities escalates with this compact. He has portrayed his campaign as an effort to combat rising antisemitism on campuses. Critics contend that this movement threatens to chill the very diversity of thought it claims to promote, silencing perspectives and discouraging free expression on academic campuses.
The proposal roared to life the opposition from various sectors. Many conservatives and libertarians are concerned that it will, even if unintentionally, have a chilling effect on rigorous academic discourse. Of course, many people express concern that putting such conditions would suppress the open sharing of ideas. They worry that government requirements will leave these important conversations in the hands of politicians.