Talk isn’t enough; Princeton, defend your people from Trump

The Daily Princetonian’s pages are full of talk about the existential threat that Princeton faces due to President Donald Trump. This became especially relevant last week, when several federal agencies in the Trump administration rescinded an estimated $210 million in research grants to the University. When faced with a similar situation, Columbia chose to capitulate. Princeton is making the admirable choice to stand up to Trump. I concur with the Editorial Board, of which I am a member, in commending Eisgruber’s approach.

However, in focusing on Princeton more broadly as an institution, we often overlook Princeton’s crucial core: our community. Thus, the University must be vigorously proactive, as opposed to reactive, in defending our people, whether that be Princeton’s minorities, international students, or staff members. The University cannot just make statements — it must take tangible, material steps to empower the people in our community.

Of course, it’s important to applaud the University’s successes. It made the right move in expanding financial aid — a relatively small part of the budget that provides a massive boon to economic access. And while Columbia is instituting a special police force and banning face masks during protests, Princeton is remaining steadfast in maintaining its status quo of free speech. This is good work on Eisgruber’s part.

However, aside from our protections on aid, Eisgruber has mainly focused on academic freedom and free speech. These are admirable values, but Princeton is not just an idea-producing institution — it is a body of real, living people who together make this University great. In his Atlantic article, Eisgruber did not comment on the threats that students face — such as deportation — and did not mention protecting students or staff from the Trump administration.

This is insufficient. Princeton cannot just focus on its own existence; it must focus on its people. Because after all is done, Princeton, as an institution, will be fine.

At the end of the Trump administration, its buildings will still be standing. Perhaps its coffers will be less full, but, as my colleague Wynne Conger and Harvard’s former president have both argued, they can handle the hit, and the University has the privilege of issuing AAA-rated bonds in the meantime. Its prowess as a research institution is a legacy that will be hard to break.

But the Trump administration can inflict massive pain on Princeton’s people. And Princeton should leverage its abundance to do what it can to prevent that. Princeton needs to guarantee funding and protection for its access programs. This includes the Carl A. Fields Center, which fosters cultural understanding, and the Emma Bloomberg Center for Access & Opportunity, which supports the needs of first-generation, low-income students.

Trump is afraid of diverse communities — if we can help these communities thrive at Princeton, we succeed in fighting against Trump. Students from racial or economic minorities provide necessary perspectives. As Dean Karen Richardson has said, “when students from different backgrounds lend their voices and talents to the academic and social fabric of the campus, every member of the community benefits.”

The University must also protect the rights of undocumented and international students who may be unjustly singled out. The abduction of Mahmoud Khalil at Columbia is unjust. We cannot let the same happen at our University.

Tufts threw its support behind Rümeysa Öztürk when she was detained by ICE. Princeton should follow suit, guaranteeing legal support to its international students. The Davis International Center already provides guidance for these students, but Princeton can go further. Princeton can issue declarations in individual cases, similar to the one issued by Tufts. The Davis IC could offer direct legal assistance, through providing free, University-sponsored lawyers. Once a plan is outlined, the University should issue a statement about its steps to protect these students.

Our undocumented students, who often face a great deal of struggle because of their immigration status, deserve a place at Princeton. A brilliant, wonderful student is a brilliant, wonderful student regardless of their documents.

Barring a substantial endowment tax increase, which the University is fighting against, there is not much more that Trump can wield financially against Princeton. They have already revoked many of our federal grants, which we received comparatively less of than Ivy League peers to start with.

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But there is much more that Trump can do against our people — and it is up to the University to make sure that our people are empowered. Trump is fighting a war against the nation, and the University must protect the Princeton community on every possible front.

Raf Basas (he/him/his) is a first-year opinion columnist from Elk Grove, Calif. intending to major in English, Anthro, or Politics. He can be reached at rb4078[at]princeton.edu or @raf.basas on Instagram. His column, “Out of the Ivory Tower,” runs every two weeks on Tuesday. All of his columns can be read here.