The Professoriate v. Trump

April 17,  a National Day of Action for Higher Education initiated by the Coalition for Action in Higher Education, saw over 200 events across the U.S. Actions ranged from rallies and speakouts to tabling events and teach-ins, all aimed at highlighting the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom, education funding, and threats to international scholars. The actions took place in the weeks following the high-profile abductions and detainments of Mahmoud Kalil and Rümeysa Öztürk by Immigration and Customs and Department of Homeland Security officials and signal the beginnings of a convergence between academic labor organizing, Palestine solidarity work, and immigrant defense networks. Thus far, Trump’s attacks on higher education have been met with mixed reactions. Harvard University, which has sued the Trump administration in response to its federal overreach, stands in contrast to Columbia University, which has been criticized for capitulating to the Trump administration’s demands and cracking down on student protests and academic freedom. The actions demonstrate a necessary and healthy development in the response to the Trump Administration’s attacks on immigrants, trans people, education, working people, and civil liberties, but they are only a first step. What follows is a reportback on just a handful of the many actions that took place on April 17.

Burlington, VT

Around 175 people gathered at the University of Vermont, including members of Graduate Students United, Staff United, United Academics, and Student Workers United. Also present at the event were several student organizations:  Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP),  Progressives, Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA),  Palestine Solidarity Coalition, Students’ Tenant Union, and the Gender, Sexuality and Feminism Club. The action was organized by members of the graduate student, faculty, and staff unions on campus, plus undergraduate groups who had already been meeting as a coalition around Palestine Solidarity organizing.

Presently, there is no specific attack from the Trump administration on UVM. The main focus of the action was to push the university administration not to capitulate but to mount a sturdy defense of academic freedom, free speech, the right to dissent, DEI, protection of trans students, and to refuse collaboration with ICE or DHS. Connections between this general attack on civil liberties and the targeting of Palestine solidarity activists were present throughout, and ralliers chanted: I say workers,  you say power; I say academic, you say freedom, and when free speech/trans rights/Palestine is under attack, what do we do, rise up fight back.

Following the action, a campus coalition meeting was held. The coalition has a calendar of events in place culminating in a May Day mobilization with Migrant Justice and dozens of other groups, which will march on an ICE facility in Williston, VT.

Helen Scott, member of United Academics and Palestine Solidarity Coalition

Houston, TX

Between 150-175 people gathered at the University of Houston. The event was organized by the AAUP chapter and the graduate SJP. SJP (undergraduate), Palestine Youth Movement (PYM), and the Texas State Employees Union (TSEU) were also present. Participants held signs that called for the protection of free speech, but most posters referenced U.S. empire and Palestine. Speakers were from both the campus and the broader Houston community members spoke, including a Haitian community leader, a Korean lecturer who had their visa revoked, and a dozen graduate students.

A student organizer at the University of Houston

Madison, WI

In Madison, the higher education day of action was coordinated by UW-Madison TAA, the graduate workers’ union. Approximately 120 people attended including members of, UW-Madison Teaching Assistants Association (TAA), United Faculty & Academic Staff, AFSCME Local 2412, Students for Justice in Palestine, and State Rep Francesca Hong. The main demands of the action were to push the University of Wisconsin (UW) administration to recognize and bargain with the unions; for a living wage for graduate workers; for UW to join the  Big 10 Mutual Defense Compact, and for the university administration to refuse to allow ICE on campus.

During the action, the crowd was very determined and loud. It was a good mix of students, graduates, faculty, and staff. Chants were taken up easily, including Tax the Rich, Union Power ,and What’s Disgusting Union Busting. There was one speaker for Palestine who focused solely on the repression of the encampments. Dahlia Saba of the TAA and SJP spoke to the crowd, “[On the anniversary of the Columbia encampment,] We have seen consistent response to the interest of donors and politicians. Last year, students rose up to continue the demand for our universities to divest from unethical industries such as weapons manufacturers, environmental destruction, borders, surveillance technology, and occupation. Divestment is radical because it demands the university be responsible to affected groups rather than its bottom line.” However, there were no chants for Palestine, which is symptomatic of the local tension between liberal organizations that often sideline Palestinian voices and Palestine solidarity work.

Following the action, participants were encouraged to join their unions and to rally on May 2nd with Voces de la Frontera.

Ben Ratliffe, AFSCME WI

New Haven and Storrs, CT

500 people gathered on Yale University’s campus to defend academic freedom, resist government overreach, and refuse the abductions of international students. The Yale AAUP chapter organized the action. Also present were members of Unite Here Local 33–the Graduate Teachers and Researchers union, and Unite Here Local 34 and 35, which represent over 5,000 clerical and maintenance staff. Speakers drew connections between the attacks on DEI, National Institute of Health (NIH) grants, trans and queer people, reproductive care, and Palestine solidarity activism. Several speakers offered rejections of the university’s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which has been used to equate antizionism with antisemitism.

Following the rally, several teach-ins were organized to address the specific attacks facing the sciences and humanities. Rally speakers also encouraged participants to attend the upcoming May Day protests, which the AAUP, Unite Here, and the local teachers and community college unions have endorsed. Additionally, participants were encouraged to join an ongoing protest and boycott of Avelo Airlines, a regional airline headquartered in New Haven, CT, which has signed a contract with the Trump administration to provide deportation flights.

An hour north, 500 people gathered on the University of Connecticut–Storrs campus to resist the attacks on academic freedom and the Trump administration’s “bullying and intimidating of immigrant and international faculty and students,” which a press release affirmed “has a chilling effect on our community and impacts teaching, learning, and research.” In the past month, thirteen international UConn students have had their visas revoked. The day of action was organized by the AAUP chapter, but did not come off without roadblocks. Campus administration attempted to prevent the gathering by denying the use of amplified sound and discouraging elected officials from attending. Despite these efforts, the event drew a sizable crowd.

Eric Maroney, Federation of Technical and Community College Teachers–Local 1942

New York City

In New York, protesters representing several universities converged at Foley Square. The action was co-organized by the AAUP and faculty unions from the New School, Columbia/Barnard, CUNY Graduate Center, and other NYC schools. The action drew around 5000 participants with various unions represented, including UAW 7902–the NYU graduate student and adjunct professors’ union, and PSC CUNY–the staff and faculty union of the City University of New York and the CUNY Research Foundation. Also present at the action were a number of student organizations. The speakers made important connections between the struggle in defense of the university, the struggle for a free Palestine, the defense of international students against ICE, and in defense of free speech. Speakers denounced the policies of the Trump government and also pointed to the silences and complicities of university administrations. One of the more salient issues in this aspect was denouncing the complicity of the administration of Columbia with the Trump administration and its attacks on its students and workers. Participants and speakers were very energetic. There were many signs in defense of international students and free speech, a lot of signs against ICE, and demanding the freedom of students who have been targeted for their support of the Palestinian cause. There were also signs protesting against funding cuts for universities and research, in defense of trans students.

A member of UAW 7902

Featured Image credit: Steve Rhodes; modified by Tempest.

Featured Image credit: SWinxy; modified by Tempest.