{"id":724,"date":"2025-02-27T12:01:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/?p=724"},"modified":"2025-03-06T12:40:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T12:40:27","slug":"faculty-talk-trump-orders-on-higher-education-at-town-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/faculty-talk-trump-orders-on-higher-education-at-town-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty talk Trump orders on higher education at town hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Professors criticized NYU\u2019s response to President Donald Trump\u2019s executive orders, including his crackdowns on immigration and gender-affirming care, at an American Association of University Professors town hall on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the meeting, eight executive members of NYU\u2019s AAUP chapter discussed four areas of concern \u2014 cuts to research funding, attacks on gender-affirming care, repression of pro-Palestinian speech and immigration. The group also opened the floor to audience members to share first-hand how they have seen federal mandates impact the NYU community a month into Trump\u2019s presidency.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NYU AAUP president and Tisch professor Anna McCarthy said that administrators should offer more clarity on what the university will do to address student and faculty concerns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a time of crisis \u2014 we\u2019re witnessing an unprecedented assault on higher education, and the crisis affects all areas of the university,\u201d McCarthy said at the town hall. \u201cWe have come to the conclusion that if our administrators are not explicitly opposing the Trump administration\u2019s executive actions, they are enabling them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Members of NYU\u2019s AAUP chapter said that the organization invited President Linda Mills to join the meeting over email. They said Mills responded on Monday, saying that she would not be able to attend the town hall and reiterating the university\u2019s commitment to the NYU community. The group displayed an empty chair reserved for Mills next to the stage during the town hall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CAS professors Zachary Samalin and David Hogg, both NYU AAUP executives, raised concerns that the executive slash to research funding might halt advancements across a variety of academic fields. A psychology professor in the audience said that she witnessed her colleagues\u2019 research proposals getting revoked by the National Institutes of Health for mentioning the word \u201cdiversity\u201d in them, and that NYU never offered any guidance to the department as to how to respond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>statement to WSN<\/span><\/a>, a university spokesperson had said that the administration is monitoring federal policy changes and collaborating with peer institutions and higher education organizations to respond to research funding cuts effectively. CAS professor Sonya Posmentier, another member of NYU AAUP, said that faculty have yet to receive updates from senior leadership on this process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFaculty need to be very intimately involved,\u201d Posmentier said in an interview with WSN. \u201cA broad base of faculty from different disciplines need to be involved in these conversations about how to move forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s <\/span>pause to all federal aid<\/span><\/a> on Jan. 27 led to the termination of at least two of NYU\u2019s grants within days. While the order was rescinded two days later, federal agencies have since targeted thousands of research grants related to \u201c<\/span>woke<\/span><\/a>\u201d subjects including race, gender and environmental justice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To address faculty concerns about Trump\u2019s <\/span>crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives<\/span><\/a> at institutions, NYU AAUP members specifically elaborated on NYU Langone Health\u2019s decision to <\/span>deny gender-affirming care<\/span><\/a> to two children, in line with a Jan. 28 executive order threatening medical centers with federal aid withdrawal. Posmentier said that although the NYU Student Health Center has continued to offer gender-affirming care, many faculty members are worried that the reportedly denied treatment could pose problems for university employees whose children receive gender-affirming care from NYU Langone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been no request or suggestion from the Trump administration that the university change its gender-affirming care,\u201d Hogg told WSN. \u201cIt\u2019s just preemptively removing gender-affirming care because they imagine that at some point that could be the problem for them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the national chapter of the AAUP <\/span>filed a lawsuit<\/span><\/a> against Trump, alleging that his mandates against DEI and research funding violate the First Amendment and unfairly enforce vague existing legal obligations. As a result, a <\/span>Maryland court temporarily blocked<\/span><\/a> the president\u2019s orders related to DEI programming at institutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NYU\u2019s AAUP chapter invited NYU Law student Hamza, who was suspended last semester after participating in a <\/span>pro-Palestinian sit-in in Bobst Library<\/span><\/a>, to tell the meeting\u2019s attendees about his <\/span>disciplinary hearing process<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, two Stern professors in the audience said that they did not view pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus as peaceful. They specifically referenced the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in Gould Plaza last April \u2014 which disbanded after New York City Police Department officers <\/span>arrested dozens of students, faculty and alumni<\/span><\/a> \u2014 claiming that the noise made it \u201cunbearable\u201d to teach students inside Tisch Hall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI will tell you that to characterize the protests outside of Stern last year as \u2018peaceful\u2019 is an absolute gross mischaracterization of those protests,\u201d one of the Stern professors told the crowd. \u201cFor someone who is Israeli and\/or Jewish, you would have felt very fearful to go by those protests.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paula Chakravartty, a Steinhardt professor and the vice president of AAUP, then spoke about NYU\u2019s <\/span>Immigration Defense Initiative<\/span><\/a> \u2014 which was created during the first Trump administration to assist university members with immigration-related procedures. Chakravartty said that the IDI only has one attorney, making it an unfeasible solution for <\/span>international students<\/span><\/a> on campus, which made up 44% of total enrollment last academic year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFolks are feeling nervous,\u201d Chakravartty said in an interview with WSN. \u201cThe university needs to make more resources available and be more clear about what those resources are for students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The university had told WSN that it \u201c<\/span>will comply with the law<\/span><\/a>\u201d amid Trump\u2019s promised crackdown on student visas, stating that Campus Safety officers have been trained to only allow law enforcement officials on campus if they have issued a search warrant or subpoena. The week before, the AAUP had exposed Mills\u2019 <\/span>close correspondence<\/span><\/a> with an NYU parent and founder of an influential Facebook group who had pressured the university president to deport \u201cforeign students and faculty that support Hamas\u201d with intimidation and financial threats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact Amanda Chen at achen@nyunews.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

This story Faculty talk Trump orders on higher education at town hall<\/a> appeared first on Washington Square News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Professors criticized NYU\u2019s response to President Donald Trump\u2019s executive orders, including his crackdowns on immigration and gender-affirming care, at an American Association of University Professors town hall on Tuesday.\u00a0 At the meeting, eight executive members of NYU\u2019s AAUP chapter discussed four areas of concern \u2014 cuts to research funding, attacks on gender-affirming care, repression of pro-Palestinian speech and immigration. The group also opened the floor to audience members to share first-hand how they have seen federal mandates impact the NYU community a month into Trump\u2019s presidency.\u00a0\u00a0 NYU AAUP president and Tisch professor Anna McCarthy said that administrators should offer more clarity on what the university will do to address student and faculty concerns.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re in a time of crisis \u2014 we\u2019re witnessing an unprecedented assault on higher education, and the crisis affects all areas of the university,\u201d McCarthy said at the town hall. \u201cWe have come to the conclusion that if our administrators are not explicitly opposing the Trump administration\u2019s executive actions, they are enabling them.\u201d Members of NYU\u2019s AAUP chapter said that the organization invited President Linda Mills to join the meeting over email. They said Mills responded on Monday, saying that she would not be able to attend the town hall and reiterating the university\u2019s commitment to the NYU community. The group displayed an empty chair reserved for Mills next to the stage during the town hall.\u00a0 CAS professors Zachary Samalin and David Hogg, both NYU AAUP executives, raised concerns that the executive slash to research funding might halt advancements across a variety of academic fields. A psychology professor in the audience said that she witnessed her colleagues\u2019 research proposals getting revoked by the National Institutes of Health for mentioning the word \u201cdiversity\u201d in them, and that NYU never offered any guidance to the department as to how to respond.\u00a0 In a statement to WSN, a university spokesperson had said that the administration is monitoring federal policy changes and collaborating with peer institutions and higher education organizations to respond to research funding cuts effectively. CAS professor Sonya Posmentier, another member of NYU AAUP, said that faculty have yet to receive updates from senior leadership on this process.\u00a0 \u201cFaculty need to be very intimately involved,\u201d Posmentier said in an interview with WSN. \u201cA broad base of faculty from different disciplines need to be involved in these conversations about how to move forward.\u201d Trump\u2019s pause to all federal aid on Jan. 27 led to the termination of at least two of NYU\u2019s grants within days. While the order was rescinded two days later, federal agencies have since targeted thousands of research grants related to \u201cwoke\u201d subjects including race, gender and environmental justice.\u00a0 To address faculty concerns about Trump\u2019s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at institutions, NYU AAUP members specifically elaborated on NYU Langone Health\u2019s decision to deny gender-affirming care to two children, in line with a Jan. 28 executive order threatening medical centers with federal aid withdrawal. Posmentier said that although the NYU Student Health Center has continued to offer gender-affirming care, many faculty members are worried that the reportedly denied treatment could pose problems for university employees whose children receive gender-affirming care from NYU Langone.\u00a0 \u201cThere has been no request or suggestion from the Trump administration that the university change its gender-affirming care,\u201d Hogg told WSN. \u201cIt\u2019s just preemptively removing gender-affirming care because they imagine that at some point that could be the problem for them.\u201d Earlier this month, the national chapter of the AAUP filed a lawsuit against Trump, alleging that his mandates against DEI and research funding violate the First Amendment and unfairly enforce vague existing legal obligations. As a result, a Maryland court temporarily blocked the president\u2019s orders related to DEI programming at institutions.\u00a0 NYU\u2019s AAUP chapter invited NYU Law student Hamza, who was suspended last semester after participating in a pro-Palestinian sit-in in Bobst Library, to tell the meeting\u2019s attendees about his disciplinary hearing process.\u00a0 In response, two Stern professors in the audience said that they did not view pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus as peaceful. They specifically referenced the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in Gould Plaza last April \u2014 which disbanded after New York City Police Department officers arrested dozens of students, faculty and alumni \u2014 claiming that the noise made it \u201cunbearable\u201d to teach students inside Tisch Hall.\u00a0 \u201cI will tell you that to characterize the protests outside of Stern last year as \u2018peaceful\u2019 is an absolute gross mischaracterization of those protests,\u201d one of the Stern professors told the crowd. \u201cFor someone who is Israeli and\/or Jewish, you would have felt very fearful to go by those protests.\u201d\u00a0 Paula Chakravartty, a Steinhardt professor and the vice president of AAUP, then spoke about NYU\u2019s Immigration Defense Initiative \u2014 which was created during the first Trump administration to assist university members with immigration-related procedures. Chakravartty said that the IDI only has one attorney, making it an unfeasible solution for international students on campus, which made up 44% of total enrollment last academic year.\u00a0 \u201cFolks are feeling nervous,\u201d Chakravartty said in an interview with WSN. \u201cThe university needs to make more resources available and be more clear about what those resources are for students.\u201d The university had told WSN that it \u201cwill comply with the law\u201d amid Trump\u2019s promised crackdown on student visas, stating that Campus Safety officers have been trained to only allow law enforcement officials on campus if they have issued a search warrant or subpoena. The week before, the AAUP had exposed Mills\u2019 close correspondence with an NYU parent and founder of an influential Facebook group who had pressured the university president to deport \u201cforeign students and faculty that support Hamas\u201d with intimidation and financial threats. Contact Amanda Chen at achen@nyunews.com. This story Faculty talk Trump orders on higher education at town hall appeared first on Washington Square News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=724"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":727,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724\/revisions\/727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jtotheb.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}