At the end of the introduction to the astonishing proposed “compact” the Trump administration has thrust at nine universities, including the University of Arizona, is the most chilling sentence of a 10-page document absolutely replete with chilling sentences.
“Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego (misspelled — oh, the irony!) federal benefits.”
Star Columnist Tim Steller has characterized the entire compact as the government’s way of saying, “Nice little university you got there, be a shame if something happened to it.” In such Godfather terms, the above sentence is where the knife pins Luca Brasi’s hand to the bar.
It does not say “if the institution elects to forego the federal benefits offered in the compact” (which are vaguely delineated at best). It simply says, “federal benefits.” Which is a stark indication of what the real stakes are for the University of Arizona and its similarly compacted colleagues: Losing every scrap of federal funding as long as the Trump administration (or, heaven help us, a MAGA successor administration) is in charge.
In fact, the U of A’s position is even more fraught.
Consider this: In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has threatened to pull all state funding from any university that signs the compact. USC is the only California school that has so far been given the proposal.
In Arizona, the reverse situation exists.
After all, the Arizona Legislature, just five months ago, voted to remove all state funding from any university in the state (read: The University of Arizona) that continued to offer courses on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Of course, the Arizona Legislature in general treats education funding like a painful body rash in a particularly sensitive area.
Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has a seat on the Board of Regents and is seeking a second term as governor, has stayed mum about the entire situation.
So the U of A, by rejecting the compact, would clearly be putting at risk all federal and all state funding, in one fell swoop.
Nice little university you got there.
Yet, by signing the compact, the university would give up so much more.
It’s misleading shorthand to simply say, “academic freedom is at risk.” Of course it is. But the specifics are almost beyond comprehension.
The university would be banned from using race or sex in hiring or admissions decisions. It would be required to freeze tuition for five years and to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15%; apply the government’s definition of gender for bathrooms, sports teams, etc.; and abolish departments that “belittle” conservative ideas. And much more.
And if the university should somehow become apostate, the roof would fall in. For instance, if some rogue adjunct instructor lapses into banned subject areas — you know, something heinous like acknowledging that slavery actually happened in this country, or that the races have been treated differently over time — the government would be empowered to claw back any federal funding received during the entire year in which the violation occurred.
In the last couple of days, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has rejected the compact. The University of Texas has made receptive noises. And University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella has said he is welcoming continuing community feedback as the university considers how to respond.
He and the Regents are certainly getting that feedback. The Tucson City Council unanimously passed a resolution decrying what it called “targeted federal interference and disinvestment in higher education.” (Easy for them to say, of course.) And professors have overwhelmingly voiced opposition, in a Faculty Senate vote and individually.
In recent months, the university has folded its tent quickly on DEI, equally quickly closed Chinese micro-campuses when they came under criticism, and eliminated student cultural centers. All of that may well be why the U of A was deemed a “good actor” by the administration and thus given the dubious reward of being one of the first universities in the country to face this direct threat.
This decision will inescapably define Garimella’s tenure as U of A president. It may also define the university itself for decades to come.
As harsh as the consequences may be, the university and the Regents must not cave to the unreasonable demands of an administration in the thrall of antidemocratic, Project 2025 ideology.
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