Letter to Stanford Leaders

We have an urgent need to create systems of open dialogue between Stanford affiliates from a broad range of backgrounds, departments and career stages. The integration of multiple voices in these ongoing discussions will facilitate a more transparent decision making process. The first step in defending our community and its values is to break the silence that has fallen across campuses nationwide. We urge you to release an official, public statement that affirms Stanford’s commitment to (1) the protection of all graduate workers, postdocs, students, faculty, and staff and (2) the principles of academic freedom.

On March 13th, 2025, Columbia University received a letter with a list of preconditions it must fulfill to restore $400 million in federal funding currently being withheld. These preconditions asked Columbia University to sacrifice the safety and well-being of its students, the freedom of speech of the university community, and fundamental principles of academic freedom. Stanford may soon be asked to do the same.

We urge Stanford to defend the safety of its community, and the mission and values of the university. This is not a partisan request. We understand that Stanford’s Founding Grant expresses a commitment to non-partisanship. However, the Kalven Report, often seen as one of the clearest articulations of institutional neutrality, makes it clear that when “the very mission of the university and its values of free inquiry” are threatened, it is the “obligation of the university as an institution to oppose such measures and actively to defend its interests and its values.” We believe that our requests are in line with this active defense.

We are writing this letter because we do not trust Stanford to stand up to the Trump administration. In 2020, the university released a statement on systemic racism, and in the same year, established an exhibit explicitly in support of Black Lives Matter. However, the banner promoting this exhibit, which was installed in a live streamed event, was recently removed. The University must explain why this decision was suddenly taken after Trump’s inauguration and what has changed from the past five years. Otherwise, this choice appears to be motivated by fear of political retribution by the current administration. This event, along with others, has caused alarm within the Stanford community, for we see these actions as sacrificing the safety of students and workers for standing in good favor with the Trump administration.

(1) Stanford must reaffirm its commitment to protect all graduate students

We appreciate that the Stanford administration, including President Levin and Provost Martinez, have stood up to the Trump administration to protect research funding. However, we have noticed a lack of communication around the attacks on members of our community, including, but not limited to, international workers and students, trans workers and students, and those who work on or participate in DEI programs. This silence speaks volumes and sends the message that Stanford does not stand behind their students and workers. Every Stanford community member matters, and it is the job of Stanford leadership to ensure that all students and workers are provided a safe environment in which to learn and work. We call on Stanford to:

Protect the immigration status of students as is required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and adhere to the international graduate worker article which states that “the University shall not release information regarding Graduate Worker immigration status to the Department of Homeland Security unless legally required to do so.”
Protect students and workers by refusing to cooperate with ICE and refusing to facilitate illegal arrests and deportations.
Reaffirm their support of all students without “regard to their immigration status, religion, nationality, ethnicity or other characteristics”, as well as fulfill its promise to provide nondiscrimination protections on the basis of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and gender expression, in addition to other identities. This includes transgender and/or those that have a history of gender dysphoria.
Reaffirm their commitment to maintain the funds of the Weiland Health Initiative and use them for their original stated purposes, which include care specific to the LGBTQ community, as promised in a letter from Dr. James Jacobs, the executive director of Vaden Health Services.
Uphold the contract and promises to the Stanford Graduate Workers Union (SGWU), regardless of the state of research grants and federal funding, which requires that Stanford will:

Provide at least 5 years of 12-month funding to all enrolled PhD students in good academic standing, as confirmed in a letter from Provost Martinez in November 2024
Maintain workers’ compensation rates as set in the Compensation Article through 2027
Abstain from terminating funding during an appointment, as stated in the Appointment Security Article
Ensure that no program, department, or faculty member will require a doctoral student to obtain external funding or to self-fund as a condition of admission, entry to, or continuation in the degree program

Document the discussions, justifications, and decision-making processes related to federal orders and involve discussion and feedback from non-leadership members of the community. Many have felt left in the dark and abandoned during this process, but this could be a critical moment for us to work together and strengthen our community. Stanford should hold town halls and provide anonymous surveys to facilitate communication between administration and workers and students.

Provide the university community with resources and trainings around the rights of and protections for international students, faculty, and staff. Stanford should provide rights trainings and guidance to un- or under-documented, and international, students, faculty, and staff, especially in light of recent announcements such as the reinstatement of travel bans.

In addition to a clear commitment to protect its students and workers, Stanford must lead the charge for academic freedom. The Trump administration has waged a devastating and alarming campaign to censor academic research, including putting out a list of terms deemed forbidden. This censorship is emblematic of the authoritarian tendencies of this administration, and Stanford must stand against it.

(2) Stanford must reaffirm academic freedom as one of its core policies.

In 1974, the Senate of the Academic Council adopted and approved the Statement on Academic Freedom. The Preamble of this Statement reads: “Stanford University’s central functions of teaching, learning, research, and scholarship depend upon an atmosphere in which freedom of inquiry, thought, expression, publication and peaceable assembly are given the fullest protection. Expression of the widest range of viewpoints should be encouraged, free from institutional orthodoxy and from internal or external coercion.” The Trump administration’s attack on academic freedom directly contradicts this statement, and Stanford must respond accordingly. We ask Stanford to:

Reject any requests from the Trump administration that jeopardize academic freedom and/or freedom of speech. This includes preventing censorship in curricula or research, refusing to allow curricula to be monitored by political appointees and refusing to pause research with scientific merit that is attacked by the Trump administration.
Support programs, initiatives, scholarships, or other endeavors related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This includes student affinity groups. Stanford must recognize, as Georgetown Law Dean William Trenor has, that the threat to reduce or destroy these programs, and to deny students employment options on this basis, are both violations of the First Amendment and Stanford’s core policy of academic freedom.
Protect the existence, funding, and infrastructure of targeted departments deemed by the Trump administration to be related to DEI or “too woke”. We expect Stanford to receive similar requests as those placed on Columbia which demands to place the “Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies under academic receivership for a minimum of five years”. Stanford must staunchly refuse to obey such illegal orders, and instead publicly support these departments and help their professors and students to obtain legal protections.

Compliance will buy only temporary relief, but come at the expense of our safety and integrity. As our leaders, we urge you to honor your commitment to protect the Stanford community and its values as we collectively navigate the challenging times ahead.

Sincerely,

232 Stanford affiliates as of 04/07 00:52, including undergraduate students, graduate students & workers, and postdoctoral scholars