UNC leaves petition opposing federal overreach unsigned, students create their own

Regan Butler, Daily Tar Heel

Photo by Nate Skvoretz / The Daily Tar Heel

Student Body President Adolfo Alvarez recently authored a petition for elected student leaders opposing federal overreach in U.S. colleges and universities. Alvarez’s initiative was modeled after a similar petition circulating among university leaders nationwide, which the UNC administration has not signed. 

Alvarez’s petition, “Sign On: National Letter from Elected Student Leaders Defending Higher Education,” denounces federal actions impacting funding, curricula, diversity programs and international students’ visa statuses at colleges and universities.

Released on April 22, it has over 130 signatures from student government leaders nationwide, including other North Carolina schools like Duke University, Elon University, UNC Greensboro and UNC Asheville, as well as the Ivy League institutions Cornell University and Brown University.

Alvarez said the Student Government created the petition to emphasize the importance of academic freedom and call for a productive partnership with the government. 

“We oppose government overreach that threatens the basic rights of students to learn, speak, and belong without fear of political retaliation,” the petition states.

President of Duke Student Government Tara Singh signed the petition because she believes higher education must remain a stronghold of free expression so that the nation and its democracy may thrive, she wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel.

Alvarez said the six revocations of UNC students’ visas on April 8 made national implications feel much closer to home. As of April 28,  all six of these students had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records restored, according to Media Relations.

“We’re seeing that funding, visa status and overall federal support has been used as a weapon against higher ed,” Alvarez said.

Recent funding cuts from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities have also created uncertainty for multiple research initiatives and programs at UNC.

The video player is currently playing an ad.

UNC Student Body Vice President Katie Fiore said their student petition was inspired by another petition released on April 22, “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Authored and endorsed by leaders in higher education, it sits at over 600 signatures as of May 5.

“I think it makes a difference for people to see that it's not just administrators, but also student leaders who got elected, to say that we're going to represent the student body,” Alvarez said.

Signatories of the AAC&U letter include the presidents or chancellors of private North Carolina schools such as Duke, Wake Forest University and Davidson College. UNC has not signed, but other public universities, such as the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan, have.

Like Alvarez’s petition, the AAC&U statement condemns political retaliation against colleges and universities in the form of revoked funding, censorship and deportation, while underscoring the importance of free speech and academia. It calls for “constructive engagement” with the federal government that improves educational institutions.

At the April 25 UNC Faculty Council meeting, chair of the faculty Beth Moracco said signatures from UNC System schools were “notably absent” from the AAC&U statement.

“Where is our public defense of our beloved institution?” Moracco asked the council.

Chancellor Lee Roberts spoke after Moracco and said the University has been working hard to mitigate international students’ stress, as well as the impacts of funding cuts on important research. 

“My belief is that a public confrontation is going to be counterproductive,” Roberts said of the University’s absence from the AAC&U petition.

On April 17, 97 UNC faculty members sent a signed letter to Roberts, Provost Chris Clemens, the UNC Board of Trustees and the UNC System Board of Governors. It called for leadership to “publicly condemn attacks on universities,” resist and legally challenge unlawful government demands and coordinate with other universities to oppose federal actions.

Roberts said he acknowledges his stance is unsatisfying to many, but that the administration is meeting with policymakers to push for federal research funding, which he said is the University’s primary focus.

“UNC-Chapel Hill is not a member of the [AAC&U] and does not make it a practice of signing letters of organizations of which it is not a member,” Media Relations wrote in an email to The DTH.

During the April 25 meeting, Roberts confirmed the University was not asked to sign the petition because it is not part of the AAC&U.

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Over 40 signatories represent institutions that are not members of the AAC&U, with the majority representing scholarly societies and associations, and only a few representing graduate and professional schools and community colleges. Thomas Edison State University is the only non-member university to have signed, according to the current member list.

Media Relations wrote that UNC is a member of the American Association of Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and is working with these organizations and the Carolina Congressional delegation to advocate for the “importance of research funding, academic freedom, international students and many other areas impacting higher education.”

The president of the AAU, Barbara Snyder, has signed the AAC&U letter. 

At the council meeting, Roberts said he’s open to issuing a signed letter with the AAU. Within the organization, he said he’s discussed with a group of about ten presidents and chancellors of public and private institutions how to be “as effective as possible” in mitigating impacts of recent federal decisions. 

Alvarez said it wasn’t surprising to see the University absent from the AAC&U letter, which is mostly signed by leaders of private institutions. He said as a public university that relies heavily on public funding, he believes UNC doesn’t want to risk provoking targeted federal action. 

Of the four-year college and university leaders who signed the AAC&U letter, nearly 250 lead private institutions and less than 80 lead public ones.

“I think there’s a certain level of privilege that comes with speaking out,” Fiore said.

Fiore said Harvard University’s resistance to “federal overreach,” for example, is commendable, but that it has certain freedoms as a private institution with mostly private funding. She said UNC should strive to set similar boundaries, but that she wouldn’t do so if it meant risking funding and the ability to operate.

After their student leader petition is finalized, the Student Government hopes to connect with signatories from various institutions over the summer, Alvarez said. He said they want to build a stronger network of communication among student governments and present a united front.

“I didn't sign up to be in the middle of a political crossfire,” Alvarez said. “But, I'm willing to lead the student body to show the nation's oldest public university is willing to be at the forefront of student governments standing up for what's right.”

Find more by Regan Butler at the Daily Tar Heel