What is the Compact for Academic Excellence?
On October 1st, the Trump Administration asked 9 universities, known as the initial signatories, to sign the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” by November 21st, in exchange for preferential federal funding. Now, Trump has extended an invitation to all U.S. colleges and universities. The Trump Administration wants these universities that sign the compact to enforce 10 sections, but here I highlight those that will have a direct impact on cultural and ethnic studies:
- Universities need to uphold a “vibrant marketplace” where all ideas are prominent and expressed with civility. They should enforce rules that uphold this environment, “including…abolishing units that purposefully punish, belittle, and spark violence against conservative ideas.”
- University employees should remain neutral in their expression about societal or political events unless relating directly to the university.
- Universities should eliminate unnecessary staff and programs that “fail to serve students” to cut costs.
- Cap international student acceptance at 15%, with no more than 5% from any one country.
- Vetting international students to ensure they’re “supportive of American and Western values” and to avoid “reducing spots available to deserving American students”
- Violating this agreement would result in a loss of federal benefits for at least one year.
Ethnic and cultural studies are being targeted by these requirements in many ways. First, this compact suggests funding only what is the most lucrative. This is an unfair judgment for funding research or study programs. If we focus only on what is most lucrative, we lose ethics, culture, humanities, literature, art, and other disciplines that define human understanding. Without these fundamentals, how do we maintain our humanness without becoming hollow shells of science? It also suggests abolishing anything that contradicts right-wing ideology, which would be anything on the left. How exactly do we find a middle ground if an entire side of the “vibrant marketplace” of ideas is eliminated?
It seeks to limit diversity on campus by limiting opportunities for international students who bring new perspectives to our Western American society, a great melting pot of cultures from all regions. It threatens the free speech of those employed by the university, stating that they should not express their ideas publicly. Unfortunately, UT is already instilling this fear by making an example of former psychology professor and founder of the Human Dimensions of Organizations program, Art Markman.
The latest news is that 7 of the 9 initial signatories have rejected the compact. UT Austin is not one of them despite the constant noise we have seen on campus through student protests. Hopefully, our newly inaugurated president, James E. Davis, hears us and makes a decision that could earn him some trust from our current longhorns. After all, in his Oct. 22 inauguration and investiture speech, he pledged to be a “model of public trust in higher education.” He also believes a well-rounded education for all UT students is critical for understanding the complex and divided society that we are in, with “foundational principles that are the promise of the arts and humanities.” The question is, will UT reject the compact, earning trust from its student body by protecting the crucial aspects of our education?
VOICES ON CAMPUs
Students on campus are not on board. On Monday, Oct. 13, students gathered outside the UT tower to protest and urge UT to reject the compact. A week later, on Oct. 20, students marched again in protest. Here I’ve compiled opinions from a few students on campus:
Nidhi Hebbar, a sophomore majoring in International Relations, sees the impacts of the current administration on our university since the removal of Flag Requirements. She stated, “This being a federal-level issue, it almost makes us as students feel very hopeless.” The political climate affected the faculty’s decisions in a student organization she belongs to when proposing an Asian Appreciation event. As a Research Assistant, she was asked to remove interview questions with words like “diversity” or “inclusion” to keep the study afloat. She described current DEI policies as a “fear tactic” causing oppression like the compact. Despite this, she urges peers to speak out through emails to politicians and UT System Chairs.
Sydney Jael, a 1st year Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Master’s Student, traveled 900 miles from Spelman College, a historically Black women’s liberal arts school in Atlanta, Georgia. She intends to use her education to be a Public Historian, but feels anxious and disappointed with the Compact. She urges students to speak up and not be fooled by vague wording used in the compact. She warns us, “It never stops at what is propositioned,” and the exclusion of students from the conversation is a “power move,” but we should “keep up with the news and know our rights.” As Sydney put it, “understand the power of the collective,” and use that to protest.
Diana Villagomez, a senior majoring in Philosophy and Government, describes the compact as a form of deception toward students. Its name is “a conjunction of words that…don’t explain themselves in terms of what they entail,” which she interprets as “a form of bribery.” She brings attention to our school mottos: “What starts here changes the world” and “Ye shall know the truth and that truth shall make you free.” She emphasizes that this compact completely contradicts what UT claims to stand for. She encourages her peers to get informed and “take our mottos and run with them.”
Final Message
As students, it’s easy for us to feel unheard and excluded from these very important decisions universities make that can impact our futures. However, it is important to realize that we can always speak up, and we should continue to use our voices. What starts here changes the world, it’s our responsibility to stand up for that change to be good.