A stunning violation of our deepest American values: Universities respond to Trumps order

[mahatmakanejeeves]

‘A stunning violation of our deepest American values’: Universities respond to Trump’s immigration order

By Susan Svrluga January 30 at 4:58 PM

@SusanSvrluga

In letters both sweeping and personal, university presidents across the country expressed alarm about President Trump’s recent executive order on immigration. MIT’s president called it “a stunning violation of our deepest American values.” Princeton’s president wrote that his own parents would have died had they been denied visas to the United States.

The situation on campuses nationally is best characterized as full of uncertainty, confusion and fear, said Terry Hartle, senior vice president, division of government and public affairs for the American Council on Education, which represents the country’s colleges and universities.

College officials were still scrambling to account for students and faculty affected by the order at some campuses Monday, advising those from the seven countries targeted not to leave the United States and urging the administration to reconsider a policy that threatens to shut out top scholars.

{Universities grappling with impact of Trump’s executive order on immigration}

[Lucinda]

1. Good.

Resist!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. The universities and colleges are having fits (as well they should).

The statement from my alma mater is especially blistering:

"I will leave it to the courts to determine whether or not (these orders) are legal, but history has shown us far too often that legality and morality are not always aligned. It takes no court to see that these orders are cowardly and cruel. They make a mockery of the claim that we are a country of generosity and decency."

I am proud to be an alumna.

https://www.macalester.edu/president/writing/statement-january2017executiveorders.pdf

[Staph]

3. I'm so proud of our universities in West Virginia.

The presidents of both Marshall University and West Virginia University released statements on Saturday. Essentially they both said that they would protect students and faculty to the limits of the law. Then both held very public meetings today with students and faculty to discuss "what's next?".

[Nonhlanhla]

4. I teach at a well-known Catholic university

and both our president and the dean of my specific school (and I assume some of the other schools on campus) issued statements against the ban today. Very proud of my academic community for taking a stand.

The American Academy of Religion also issued a statement today.