We write to convey our sincere disappointment and disgust at the news that the University has voluntarily reached a deal with the Trump administration regarding the funding of grants and open federal compliance reviews.

For months, President Paxson and the University have written to alumni, staff, and students asking for our dollars and support so they may stand strong in the face of bullying from the Trump administration. They wrote, "Protecting academic freedom is essential for ensuring that Brown students and faculty can continue to choose what they learn and study—and colleges and universities can continue to govern their own decisions about their academic communities—free from government intrusion and threats of censorship. Brown is committed to following the law without compromising the core principles of an educational institution." We believed President Paxson and the University. And so we committed our dollars and letters of support alongside thousands of others from the Brown community with the faith that President Paxson and the University would live up to the values we have always cherished in our alma mater and the lessons we were taught as students about fighting for justice and against hatred and bigotry. 

President Paxson’s letter to the community suggests that she believes she is upholding her word. But, in truth, by signing this agreement with the administration, she and the University have abandoned their commitment. The University has ceded the core of its academic freedom by allowing the Administration to influence the way Brown disburses community funds, provides facilities to staff and students, manages academic and recreational programs, and conducts admissions.

What good is restored research funding without the freedom to govern how that funding--or any funding--is used?

According to the University’s mission statement, "The University is a community of students, faculty, and staff, and holds itself responsible for generating the conditions necessary for every individual member of its community to thrive. This responsibility rests on the fundamental presumption that all persons have something of value to contribute to the University mission."  This agreement fails to live up to that basic commitment, selling out the most vulnerable among us, including transgender and non-binary people and racial minorities It is reprehensible that President Paxson claims to be upholding the University’s values while completely abandoning these students and community members. While transgender and non-binary people all over this country are under constant attack, Brown should be a safe space where everyone in the community can thrive.

At Brown, people with different ideas, backgrounds, identities, points of view, and philosophies come together to learn, debate, challenge each other, and grow. As stated on the University’s “About Brown” page, “the spirit of the undergraduate Open Curriculum infuses every aspect of the University. Brown is a place where rigorous scholarship, complex problem-solving and service to the public good are defined by intense collaboration, intellectual discovery and working in ways that transcend traditional boundaries.” This agreement spits in the face of that core philosophy by accepting that some backgrounds or identities are invalid or lesser. It also creates a dangerous environment wherein an anonymous student evaluation can threaten a professor or other students. They can be used to weaponize the discomfort of students from challenging their perspectives and world views. The spirit of the Open Curriculum is one of vigorous debate, not one where anonymous evaluations can tear community members down from the shadows.

In a cowardly turn, the University has capitulated in order to secure research dollars and escape federal oversight. But the University is giving up much more than it is getting back. And, more practically, how can we be certain the administration won’t come back and ask for even more concessions—concessions that undermine the very fabric of our Brown community?  We can’t. And, so, we write this letter to express our deepest sadness and disappointment in the University’s decision to succumb to the Trump administration’s pressure.