CR’s October 17, 2025 Times-Standard Education Matters Article—Campus Unease

Published on Oct 14 2025

We are nine months into President Trump’s second term of office. In that time, it has become clear that Trump is reshaping America to fit his own self-interest and the much talked about Project 2025. The picture President Trump and his allies are painting is that we are a nation that cannot live together without fear. Furthermore, to “make America great again,” we must erase or rewrite key parts of our history and strategically misrepresent the truth to fit their ideological perspective and political ends. It is undeniable that those being targeted and written out of our nation’s history are disproportionally Black, Native American, people of color, and LGBTQ+.

From the start of his second term, Trump and the Congress have sought to make substantial changes to federal programs, departments and initiatives, affecting everything including healthcare, the environment, education, civil rights, diversity programs, immigration, and scientific research. Now, we see the Trump administration testing, and in some cases disregarding, constitutional limits; undermining democratic institutions and elections; politicizing government agencies; using disinformation to manipulate the media and individuals; targeting political enemies; and threatening businesses.

Unfortunately, higher education has not been immune to his regressive actions. We cannot ignore the fact that our colleges and universities are being coerced into giving up their independence and restricting free speech and First Amendment rights. 

Most recently, President Trump sent nine universities a proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence” that ties federal funding to restrictive conditions, such as freezing tuition, banning consideration of race, gender, sexual orientation, or political beliefs in admissions and hiring, and enforcing so-called viewpoint diversity. Combined with threats to withhold funding from colleges that maintain DEI programs or broader Title IX protections, this Compact represents a clear attempt to control and reform higher education and undermine academic freedom and institutional independence.

The pace and intensity of these recent policy demands from Washington, combined with the constant barrage of headlines about the many ways the administration is upending established norms and rules, are having a palpable effect on our campus climate. Some students feel emboldened to speak more forcefully about what should or should not be included in our curriculum, while others are apprehensive or fearful about what may happen if they do. We have seen an increase in behavioral issues in the classroom, and we have seen the anxiety and trauma the current political climate is having on faculty and students.

Some of our faculty have become uncertain about what they can and cannot say or teach. In certain disciplines, our classrooms have become strained with some students pushing back and resisting discussions on race, socio-economic status, and LGTBQ+ rights. Some faculty are fearful they will get “turned in” by students or parents if they discuss ideas that do not align with their personal beliefs or adhere to the MAGA agenda.

Until now, our faculty had never had to think about whether they have undocumented students in their classes. Now, they are sensitive to how to protect their students and classrooms from the possibility of ICE agents showing up to take students away. While ICE has been restricted from entering “sensitive locations” such as hospitals, churches, and schools in the past, it is uncertain whether those protections will remain under the current administration.

Despite the climate of fear being fueled by the federal government, our commitment to teaching our students and preparing them for a modern workforce has not wavered. In response to this tension, College of the Redwoods launched a series of campus conversations, beginning with “Understanding Free Speech vs. Hate Speech in America” on Thursday, October 9 and facilitated by Dr. Ryan Emenaker (Political Science) and Dr. Austin Roberts (Philosophy). This was the first in a continuing set of teach-ins designed to explore free speech and other topics central to our mission. By bringing these ideas and tensions into the open, we hope to mitigate feelings of division and fear and create an open and welcoming community on all our campuses.

Though we cannot stop the attacks on higher education, I believe that we will weather the storm. We have a unique opportunity to make a profound impact on our region, our state, and our country by continuing to seek truth, fight racism and bigotry, and resist the erasure of people’s histories. We must continue to live the values a CR education provides and we must not only focus on preparing students for productive careers but also take students beyond their preconceived ideas and self-interest, broaden their perspectives and enable them to live lives of dignity and purpose together with their fellow Americans.