So, what can the WashU community do in this precarious moment? The answer must begin with a clear-eyed recognition that we now operate in a fundamentally altered landscape in which both academic freedom and the institutions supporting it face direct government hostility.

On April 22, 2025, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) released a statement signed by hundreds of university and college presidents opposing government intrusion into institutions of higher education. The signatories included presidents from both public and private universities, many of which have faced direct attacks from the Trump administration. While the number of signatories has grown to more than 500 since the statement’s publication, WashU’s Chancellor Andrew Martin has yet to sign the letter.

Think of the best educational experiences you’ve had at WashU: the classes that resonated most with you, the conversations with peers about the world or something you read, the moments that sparked creativity and excitement for you. A true education isn’t simply pouring knowledge from one bucket to another, from professor to student. It’s a lively, unpredictable conversation where professors’ expertise meets students’ intellectual energy, generating new insights and ideas. That conversation requires academic freedom for all of us. And when that freedom is jeopardized, students lose. 

We were all kids once. We are still the same people we were back then, no matter how much our personalities, capabilities, and preferences have changed.

WashU let me down. Programs like bystander intervention and the Title IX office are supposed to protect survivors, but they did little for me.

As this week’s print issue marks Student Life’s last staff editorial of the academic year, we would like to remind the WashU community to continue engaging with a variety of news publications. Though Student Life’s regular content will be on summer break, the news doesn’t stop, and it’s important to stay up to date with information from reliable sources.

Rather than taking on one mindset or the other, we should take a balanced approach. Instead of striving to be exceptional at everything, we should pick and choose our battles. We can do our best to prioritize our studies and work, but not so much that we sacrifice the things that sustain and inspire us. Working hard should not come at the expense of learning and trying new things.

On and off campus, we face the challenges of being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued, never mind our exhausting responsibilities as university students on top of them. If we want to see our conditions improve and create a future we can look forward to, students need to get serious about the fight for labor rights.

Accepting support during indefinite, unplanned, and difficult moments is what makes us good friends, partners, and kids. It also prepares us to return that support when the moment calls. By taking in the love and care, others might feel more comfortable reaching for us when they need that love and care back. 

Relationships ebb and flow in connectivity and that doesn’t define its value. Don’t let the expectations of hyper-connectivity define your relationships.