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"Admitted to my companions that no events would unfold - I was proved incorrect"

Encouraging Apprehension Among College Students by Trump's Statements

Federal administration under Trump's leadership halts billions in federal financial disbursements.
Federal administration under Trump's leadership halts billions in federal financial disbursements.

Unsettling Universities: Trump's Fear Tactics Unveiled

"Admitted to my companions that no events would unfold - I was proved incorrect"

By Lukas Wessling, New York

Connect with Us: Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email Print Copy Link The Trump administration is disrupting the higher education system, slashing research funds, touting officials, and applying political pressure on universities. Two students — a German Ph.D. candidate and an American Ph.D. student — share their experiences navigating Trump's impact on universities.

Feeling the chill of uncertainty, international student Vincent Heddesheimer, a political scientist at Princeton University, displays a notice on his lamppost: What to do if ICE knocks on your door? What about their vehicles? After an information session at his institution, Heddesheimer, 28, reveals a growing sense of unease on campus. EU students may face increased scrutiny upon entering the United States, he's been told. "A certain tension" prevails, he confides to ntv.de.

American student Coco Fitterman, pursuing her Ph.D. at the City University of New York, initially shrugged off the mounting fears circulating amongst her peers. Ignoring calls to ceasefire during conflicts like the one in Gaza seemed excessive, she thought. Until her friend, a student at Columbia University, was arrested, detained for months with a valid residence permit.

A Warning to Universities Nationwide

The Trump administration's actions against Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil have stirred up discourse, with these incidents signaling further attacks on educational institutions. When Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced that Harvard could no longer accept international students, she underscored the move's intent: A warning to universities across the country. But not all universities — nor all individuals within the U.S. education system — suffer the same consequences.

Finances under the Knife

Since his inauguration, Trump's administration has seized billions in research funds, severed contracts, and threatened universities with tax exemption elimination and sensitive information exposure. He wrongfully accused Harvard of admitting students based on racial quotas, despite the university's denials. Trump demands that universities tackle "unlawful discrimination" and ideological indoctrination, taking action against anti-Semitism and violence, though the majority of funds he uses to pressure universities have no relation to these demands.

Criticism Among Republicans Some Republicans criticize individual measures, but the broader support for limiting universities is evident. Many view universities as out-of-touch, dominated by left-leaning ideologies. The campus protests supporting Palestine were more divisive among the general public than among students, possibly explanatory regarding the Trump administration's focus on these demonstrations to justify their attacks on educational institutions.

The Gaza protests were already gaining momentum when Trump hadn't even taken office yet. Congress and funders had pressured universities, forcing tent camps to clear out and leading to the arrest of thousands of participants. Skeleton crews remain.

Trump's Targets Reach Beyond the Elite

First, the protests diminished, then Trump was elected president: Many students feel drained and demoralized, says Fitterman: "Even me." Yet, she attends a graduate college at the City University of New York on a Tuesday in late May, showing support. In a modest seminar room, a few people are crafting banners reading "Freedom for Palestine" and "Genocide has no two sides."

Fitterman enters the room, greets warmly, then leaves quickly. She has emails to send to her undergraduate students — grades for the last semester. "I have to do that too," she mentions in the elevator. Everyone receives the highest grade, except for one student who missed classes frequently due to family obligations.

About twenty people gather by the limestone columns, on the steps of the university building. They discuss a hunger strike, vowing to fast until the university ends its financial ties with Israel. They are Fitterman's friends. Some might describe them as "paid agitators" or "terror sympathizers" in Trump's vocabulary. Protests like this would likely be ignored in any other democratic country, and certainly not used as a reason to pressure educational institutions. In the U.S, that's exactly what's happening. The demonstration lasts for approximately an hour, with passersby heckling the protesters.

Trump thrives on this polarized environment, drawing support from disdain towards leftist students. It provides a strong foundation for his assaults on higher education and punitive actions against what he perceives as an entitled elite. However, Trump's actions mainly target the foot soldiers of the education system, not the elite.

Fear Cloaks the Ivory Tower

Heddesheimer keeps a low profile, he says, even before Trump came to power, even before the protests in Gaza. To fit in, he abstains from drinking beer in public. He feels comfortable in Princeton, within his bubble. Princeton, nestled in New Jersey and established in 1746, is a small town with a collection of stone buildings and lawns, easily manageable. Wealthy: It boasts more money per capita than any other university worldwide.

Princeton thrives on billions in endowment funds, investing the money to cover its basic financial needs while maintaining geographical distance from the public sector. This gives Heddesheimer, an international student, a cushion of two additional years, despite the university facing budget cuts. Future cohorts may not enjoy this extra time. However, they will persist, albeit in a potentially harsher academic environment.

The language center that employs Fitterman — alongside her teaching and Ph.D. work — is on the verge of disappearance, its funding set to run out in August. The responsible department of the Ministry of Education was already dismantled in March. Even if the funding technically hasn't ended, who's left to approve an extension? "That's terrible for the students," laments Fitterman, expressing particular concern for students from working-class families, whose paths to graduation may become more arduous.

In contrast, the public education system receives primary funding from state and federal sources, making Fitterman and her fellow students more immediately vulnerable to political developments than Heddesheimer and his peers. Despite the uncertainties, Heddesheimer feels confident in the institution of Princeton, planning to travel to Germany during the summer to conduct research. "Most Europeans fly over," he muses. They'll likely return to the U.S. as well.

Worth Noting:

  • Trump's administration has placed restrictions on discretionary research funding, creating uncertainty for universities.
  • Trump's immigration policies have caused unrest among international students and negatively impacted U.S. universities.
  • The administration is targeting universities' financial resources and threatening their independence.

Sources:

  1. ntv.de
  2. The New York Times
  3. The Washington Post
  4. The Chronicle of Higher Education
  5. Inside Higher Ed
  6. The Commission, which focuses on education-and-self-development and general-news, has been consulted on the draft directive regarding the Trump administration's actions against universities, including the slashing of research funds and the political pressure exerted on institutions.
  7. Despite the obvious tension between politics and higher education, international student Vincent Heddesheimer, a political scientist, found it necessary to post a notice about what to do if ICE arrived at his door, highlighting the education-and-self-development impact of Trump's fear tactics on universities.

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