On Oct. 1, the Trump Compact was sent to nine colleges with feedback requested by Oct. 20. The compact asked the universities to agree to change certain policies so that they complied with the compact. As of Oct. 20, out of the nine universities, seven have rejected it, with the other two universities not signing or rejecting it.
The Trump Compact promised signatories preferential federal funding and partnerships. Additionally, the compact outlines certain policies that include eliminating institutional units that are antagonistic to conservative ideas, limiting undergraduate admission of international students to 15 percent, and freezing tuition.
The universities that were sent this compact include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, Dartmouth College, the University of Arizona, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Texas at Austin. The White House stated they believed these universities would be “good actors,” and that is why this offer was extended to them.
Among those invited to sign the compact, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was the first to reject, stating that they believed they had met or exceeded many of the conditions laid out. They also stated that the document is contradictory to one of the core beliefs of the institution, which is that scientific funding should be awarded based on merit alone. The University of Virginia also had a similar stance, saying that to agree to a preferential relationship would “undermine the integrity of vital, sometimes lifesaving, research” and “further erode confidence in American higher education.” Another university with similar feedback was Dartmouth College, which said that this is not an approach they would support under any administration because research funds should be for the most promising ideas, and this compact compromises certain things, such as academic freedom.
The University of Pennsylvania had a shorter response, stating that they respectfully declined the compact and provided feedback as requested. Brown University, which also rejected the compact, had a rally with students and staff members who believed this compact is “an attack on academic freedom and diversity of thought” at the university. On Oct. 14, the group also stated that any university agreeing to this compact created the risk of higher education siding with “tyrants over students. The University of Southern California and the University of Arizona both responded with their own statements of rejection as well.
The two universities that have yet to reject the offer include Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas at Austin. Vanderbilt University has voiced that they were not yet asked to state a clear stance and that they will provide the feedback they were asked to provide to the White House. When they first received the offer, the University of Texas at Austin said they were honored to be selected for this offer and were looking forward to reviewing the document.
Nearly 100 educational leaders have endorsed the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ statement that the compact was an “ultimatum” that tied funding and political ideology together. Though people have expressed opinions favoring certain decisions, how big of the influence different responses to this compact will have on the public’s opinion of these educational institutes has yet to be seen.
