Editorial: Free Speech is Dying, and Trump is Killing It

Last week, Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk was detained for co-writing an op-ed imploring the university to adopt the Tufts Community Union Senate’s resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict. This story, and others like it, have terrified us as a Board. They represent a threat to our commitment to free speech and to enabling campus discourse.

We must remember that the Trump administration’s persecution of international students and faculty is not about combating antisemitism as much as it is about bullying institutions across the country into ideological submission. That the government is threatening international students with deportation for expressing their opinions and queer students with anti-trans legislation is a horrifying reality no resident should ever have to face. It is an insult to the United States’ founding principles of democracy, as well as the decades of court cases that have ensured students the freedom to protest.

While Amherst has so far avoided the Trump administration’s crackdown, it is deeply disturbing to see neighboring institutions such as the University of Massachusetts, Amherst being scrutinized for student activism. Even following certain accounts on social media or texting about a certain topic feels dangerous now, and many students on campus are afraid of even publicly congregating together for political dialogue lest their safety be compromised. With rumors of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in town earlier this year and recent student arrests in the Berkshires, many have wondered if and when Amherst’s holdout against the Trump administration’s policies will be challenged.

We do not want to discourage members of the Amherst community from voicing their opinions. But we cannot deny that, for international students, exercising one’s freedom of speech now risks severe legal ramifications. We understand that some students may not want to submit their writing in this atmosphere. Given that it is our mission “to amplify student voices and opinions, from multiple perspectives, while acting as a forum for discourse and campus conversation,” acknowledging this political silence is deeply upsetting to us. The fact that student publications across the country must make similar acknowledgments is evidence that the Trump administration’s swift dismantling of free speech is already underway.

If Columbia’s capitulation has taught us anything, it is that appeasement is not enough. Now, the White House is going after Harvard and Princeton. The list of affected institutions has been growing and will only continue to grow. The message is clear: This administration cannot be trusted. It is not here to negotiate. What were once attacks on just international students may expand to legal permanent residents, naturalized citizens, and even U.S.-born citizens.

We encourage those who are not as vulnerable to the Trump administration’s threats to use their right to free speech in a moment where many students who are not citizens are being silenced. While we are aware that student activism runs the risk of bringing the administration’s attention to the college, thus jeopardizing the safety of international students whether or not they participated, we also understand the importance of solidarity. Even minor actions, such as putting up signage or even reaching out to students in distress, can help strengthen our community’s resistance to the current administration’s attacks.

As a Board, we recognize the responsibility The Student bears as the sole newspaper on campus. The Trump administration’s blatant ignorance of the law cannot be ignored. We cannot capitulate to tyranny, and we stand in solidarity with those who have been silenced. We recognize how critical it is for us to deliver reliable, accurate information and offer diverse perspectives about issues pertaining to the college. We will keep reporting on the college’s resistance to the White House’s crackdown on universities nationwide, and we will continue to foster public discourse on campus through the regular publication of our op-eds. The Student’s journalism is integral to upholding our community, and we as a Board are doing our best to navigate these uncertain times.

Unsigned editorials represent the views of the majority of the Editorial Board (assenting: 12; dissenting: 0; abstaining: 0)