Student government leaders at UNC-Chapel Hill are leading a national effort that calls for the Trump administration to back off from its attempts to control student activities and the curriculum on college campuses. The students are circulating a letter that accuses the White House of politicizing higher education, targeting international students and threatening funding at schools that do not end diversity, equity and inclusion programs. More than 120 student government leaders from more than 30 colleges have signed on. Adolfo Alvarez, student body president at UNC-Chapel Hill, tells WFAE’s Gwendolyn Glenn why they felt the need to launch this campaign.
Adolfo Alvarez: We are coming together as student leaders of our universities because we oppose the government overreach that threatens these basic rights of students — you know, to learn, speak and belong without the fear of political retaliation. We are seeing a shift across the country where students are being targeted for their activism, where they are trying to silence the teaching of accurate history, targeting diversity programs, and they're threatening public funding as a tool to intimidate and instill fear on college campuses, which doesn't reflect the values on which America was founded.
Gwendolyn Glenn: Have you seen any changes on campus since the Trump administration has pushed for an end to DEI and in terms of what's being taught in the classroom?
Alvarez: Yes. We have diversity and inclusion requirements for majors and general education. And that has been pulled from the curriculum in response to a federal executive order. So basically, you know, people no longer need that to graduate. The classes are still available. It's just like they're no longer part of what the university considers a core of your education in order to graduate. At the end of the day, it is taking something that was considered a core part of our education away. They are not necessarily coming after classes right now, but they are telling students you no longer have to be taking this.
Glenn: Have any of the professors on campus supported your letter campaign? And have you heard of whether they are being told what they can teach and what they can say in the classroom? Do you feel like that is under threat as well?
Alvarez: Yeah, so I think that faculty are really being proactive at urging the (school) administration to not let political interference enter in any way of our classrooms. Faculty issued a letter urging the chancellor and the Board of Trustees to stand up for free education — you know, to not let the Trump administration's efforts get in the way of access to free education.
Glenn: Tell me some of the schools that have signed on, and especially those in North Carolina.
Alvarez: In North Carolina, we've had UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro, Duke and UNC onboard. We also have Wake Forest in North Carolina. And nationwide we’ve also seen some really big names like Cornell University, which was a target and had their funding frozen by the Trump administration. Big schools like MIT, Northeastern, Northwestern, schools in California — like UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara. We are seeing University of Utah, you know, which is it's really important because Utah is a very conservative state. And Vanderbilt. And I think that just shows that it's not just a North Carolina effort.
Glenn: So what are your goals once they signed the letter? Where do you go from there?
Alvarez: So, I think that definitely sending it to the appropriate public representatives who are, you know, on Capitol Hill advocating for this. I think this could be a really good instrument to show that students are standing up for what's right in higher education, you know?
Glenn: So, will you send it to the White House?
Alvarez: Correct. We know that some stakeholders like the White House would probably not be so receptive of it, but at least we want it on record that students are saying what's right — and that we are standing up for our peers in the capacity that we're able to.
Glenn: And do you think that this will make a difference?
Alvarez: I think it will. You know, I think that in times like this, it's difficult for our peers to gain hope, to see people standing up in times like this when we're seeing political retaliation, and voices are trying to be silenced by the federal government. I think that there's nothing more valuable than seeing this. This is the first time that I've seen student governments come together towards something this big. And we are really happy to be at the forefront of it. And we're going to continue advocating for students.
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