Trump's Interference at UCLA: Demands Implicated as Threatening Free Speech and Academic Liberty
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) finds itself at the centre of a controversial dispute with the Trump administration, as the Justice Department is believed to be acting on orders from President Trump and his advisor Stephen Miller. The administration is demanding a $1.2-billion settlement from UCLA, along with restrictions on admitting foreign-born students and the forced release of private student and faculty data.
These demands, according to critics, are considered 'extortion' and violations of academic freedom. Art Peck from View Park, Gary Stewart from Laguna Beach, and Vickie Ahumada from Oceanside are among those who find the Donald Trump administration's actions to be pure extortion.
UCLA's website describes its values as respect, accountability, integrity, service, and excellence. However, the demands from the Justice Department are seen as an attempt to impose a highly conservative cultural shift on UCLA, which some believe could potentially harm medical research and patient care.
Gary Stewart suggests that UCLA should shut down rather than substitute MAGA fealty for enlightenment principles. Peck also criticizes Trump for wanting to tell UCLA's faculty what to think and teach. Stewart finds the demands offensive and politically dangerous.
The administration's conditions in the demand to UCLA mirror the ones rejected in the Sept. 3 ruling for Harvard. In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs pointed out that the administration's allegations of antisemitism are a mere pretext to impose unconstitutional restrictions on academic freedom. The ruling noted that crippling science does nothing to reduce antisemitism.
The Trump administration has frozen over $500 million in UCLA research funding, adding to the concerns about the potential harm to medical research and patient care. The Department of Justice under the Trump administration is being criticized for demanding a shift in UCLA's values, with the demands from the Justice Department being viewed as an attempt to extort money from a taxpayer-funded state university.
The federal court ruling on Sept. 3 in Harvard's suit against the administration rejected similar demands, further fueling the criticism against the Trump administration's actions towards UCLA. As the situation continues to unfold, many are calling for UCLA to stand firm against the administration's demands and protect the principles of academic freedom and integrity.
