The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Rep. Laurie Osher, D-Orono, is serving her third term in the Maine House of Representatives. She holds a PhD in soil science from the University of California, Berkley, and spent more than 20 years of her career in academic research and teaching, including nine years as a faculty member at the University of Maine.
Earlier this month, institutions of higher education received a list of demands directly from the White House.
These letters from the Trump administration contained an ultimatum: Agree to our conditions — including limiting the number of international students on your campuses, adhering to unscientific definitions of gender, and prohibiting teaching and scholarship that would “belittle” conservative ideas — and we will reward your schools with federal funding. Alternatively, if you choose to maintain your independence, we will cut off your access to the resources you need to sustain vital research and education.
As a scientist and state lawmaker representing Orono, home of the flagship campus of the University of Maine System, I am alarmed by this Faustian bargain and its implications. Our institutions of higher education must maintain their independence, which means rejecting attempts by the federal government to control their decision-making.
The so-called “compact,” which has now reportedly been extended to other institutions as well, is just the latest in a series of moves by the president and his administration to control our country’s colleges and universities.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has cut or threatened to cut funding to many institutions, moved to revoke and restrict international student visas, and launched politically motivated investigations. The University of Maine System has had so many federal grants affected that it launched a web page tracking the impacts.
As a former faculty member at the University of Maine, I know firsthand what this means to my former colleagues and their work. My own research was funded by a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Without that grant, much of my research would have ground to a halt.
The administration has also threatened the nation’s most prestigious and well-resourced schools. In September, my alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley, announced that it had provided the names of 160 students and faculty in response to a Trump administration investigation of alleged antisemitism. The Berkeley leadership’s capitulation is a detriment to the security and free speech ideals of the campus community.
Columbia University also made a deal with the Trump administration in July, agreeing to pay over $200 million to access $1.3 billion in already awarded federal funding. But the federal government’s bullying and intimidation will not stop because of universities caving to its demands.
One condition of the administration’s higher education “compact” appears laudable. It demands schools freeze tuition for five years. That does not change the fact that the administration is using federal funding to exert control over higher education — and, by extension, freedom of inquiry, speech and thought.
Academic freedom is an essential component of the excellence of our nation’s colleges and universities, and protecting that freedom is vital to the strength of our democracy. A high-quality education — free from government interference or intimidation — not only equips students with knowledge but also with the ability to evaluate arguments critically and engage with other points of view productively. Education provides us with the context to make sense of the challenges we face and fosters the ability to work together to overcome them.
International students contribute greatly to the value of higher education. Talented students from around the world stimulate billions of dollars in U.S. economic activity each year, in addition to the immeasurable value of having a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds at the table.
It is not hyperbole to say that the administration’s crackdown on freedom of thought and speech on college campuses threatens our democratic institutions more broadly.
On Friday, Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced its refusal to comply with the Trump administration’s higher education compact. Let’s follow their lead. I urge Maine colleges and universities — and all of U.S. higher education — to stand strong together and reject this latest power grab by the federal government.
