Writer’s Note: This article concerns an ongoing issue and the matters in it may be subject to change.
At the beginning of October, the Trump Administration contacted nine universities with an offer. This offer asked these universities to all amend their policies to align with Trump’s political agenda. In exchange, the Trump administration will grant them preferential funding, and the heads of the universities will be invited to every White House meeting. Vanderbilt University, MIT, Dartmouth College, University of Arizona, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, and the University of Texas at Austin were all contacted. Seven of the nine universities refused. Vanderbilt University sent a letter saying it was open to negotiation and further compromise. The University of Texas at Austin declined to respond.
In an effort in line with Trump’s ongoing campaign against affirmative action, the compact asserts that only the academic rigor of a student will determine their admission. However, the compact states it’s okay to maintain bias in favor of American citizens in admissions. Among the ideals the compact asks student universities to accept is a definition of gender based on “reproductive function and biological processes.”
The compact would prevent peaceful protests of the Trump administration’s acts and policies, such as mass government layoffs and cutting to funding of public institutions such as museums. The compact would also prevent calls to support “entities designated by the U.S. as terrorist organizations.” The latter is a likely response to the pro-Palestine protests that recently swept across college campuses.
The compact also asks universities to freeze student tuition rates for the next five years, introduce a cap on the percentage of international students, and have more grade transparency. It also reflects the recent trend of increased surveillance, by requiring that any information about international students be sent to the Department of Homeland Security on request. Following funding cuts for some of the largest universities, including Cornell, this compact is the latest in Trump’s attempt to control universities.
After the lukewarm reception to the compact, Trump extended the offer to any and all universities willing to take part.
On November 7, Cornell reached an agreement with the Trump administration. The agreement does not follow the exact terms of the compact, but the soul of the agreement remains the same. Cornell agreed not to consider diversity, equity, and inclusion in admissions and to send admissions data to the Trump administration. The agreement also mandates that Cornell has to conduct routine surveys analyzing alleged anti-semitism. Cornell also had to pay the Trump administration 30 million dollars, and invest 30 million dollars into agriculture research. In exchange, Cornell regained 250 million dollars of federal research funding. The payment to the Trump administration has aroused some complaints from Cornell faculty. “There’s nothing good to say about the bribe, the 30 million bribe,” says Dr. Bateman, the president of the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Overall, Cornell has not been as restricted by its agreement as Trump’s administration would have you believe. Compared to Columbia University, which surrendered control of a department from its faculty, Cornell has gotten off fairly lightly. However, it is yet to be seen how some of the vague portions of the agreement play out in coming years.