Vox Pop - Academic freedom attacked
Vox Pop
Funding for institutions of higher learning, including the University of Wisconsin’s campuses in Wausau and Marshfield, is being used to coerce them into following philosophical mandates issued by the Trump Administration. Attempting to coerce universities to change admission and administrative policy is an assault on academic freedom and on the First Amendment to the Constitution.
The First Amendment is written for the express purpose of allowing people to speak in opposition to government policy without recrimination. The Trump Administration has been abducting and deporting foreign students accused of speaking against US foreign and domestic policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio demonstrated his failure to understand the purpose of having the amendment when he said, “If they’re taking activities that are counter to our national interest, to our foreign policy, we’ll revoke the visa.” Law firms are threatened if they agree to defend the student’s right to study here and speak their opinion. News media are threatened for reporting news that is not favorable to the administration. Attempts to defund National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service are efforts to eliminate balanced news delivery. A more subtle attack on academic freedom is defunding the Institute of Museum and Library Services, removing $2.23 million from Wisconsin libraries, impacting rural libraries the hardest.
The Trump Administration has also violated the Fifth Amendment and the 14th Amendment in its efforts to stifle opposition to its policies through the denial of due process and equal protection.
President Trump’s disregard for the Constitution, his willful disregard for rulings by the Supreme Court, his attacks on educational institutions and his constant selfaggrandizing are characteristics of a dictatorial tyrant. They are beginning to affect what information we have access to and how we talk about it. Democracy is fragile. We must understand when the rights of one person are violated; the rights of everyone are in danger.
— Bryce Luchterhand, Unity
