Members of the Vanderbilt community will raise our voices against the “compact” for higher education on November 5th at 11am outside of the administration’s offices at Kirkland Hall. Indivisible Vanderbilt, the American Association of University Professors and Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United will join with members of the campus community in calling on administration to do the right thing and reject Trump’s compact. We urge the Vanderbilt community and the general public to join us in the defense of academic freedom, free speech, and the independence of our universities.
Out of the original nine universities asked to sign the “compact for excellence” in higher education, seven have now rejected it outright. They have rightfully cited concerns about the compact’s impact on international students, the LGBTQ+, minority and cultural studies programs funding, merit-based funding, and academic freedom.
Like other universities, the overwhelming majority of our campus community has come together against the compact. The Faculty Senate, Vanderbilt Student Government, and Graduate Student Council have all passed resolutions against it. Undergraduate students who have been surveyed have overwhelmingly rejected it. 1,300 VU community members signed a petition against the compact and hundreds of us delivered it to Daniel Diemeier’s door on October 8th. Hundreds of us have sent letters to the administration, dozens of us attended a recent teach-in on the dangers of the compact, and hundreds more of us have signed a new, open letter against the compact organized by the AAUP.
Despite this, on October 20th, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier sent a letter to the VU community explaining that his administration is still in talks with the Trump administration about the compact. Where other university administrations have shown leadership in rejecting this compact outright, the Vanderbilt administration has shown a willingness to negotiate our safety, diversity, and academic freedom.
We ask the administration: what is there to negotiate when the VU community is so clearly united against this compact? Why are you willing to negotiate about our basic freedoms and core values? Why will you not listen to the overwhelming majority of your campus when we speak? This Wednesday, hundreds of us will be outside of the administration’s offices to ask them these questions.
