Following Donald Trump’s inauguration as president this year, there has been a barrage of executive orders addressing everything from border control issues to so-called anti-Christian biases. Many of these orders target higher education, and WashU has already begun to feel the impacts.

Earlier this month, Chancellor Martin released one of two statements regarding the most recent NIH cuts to indirect university research funding. The statement, which was emailed to the WashU community and student body, sought to reassure students and faculty that the University’s administration is closely monitoring the national funding situation. He wrote that the administration is “mobilized on multiple fronts” and ready to address the “threat” that these funding cuts pose to WashU, St. Louis, and the future of various research initiatives around the world.

“With this latest announcement [regarding NIH cuts], we felt it was important to reach out to our full community so you all are aware of how we are responding,” Martin wrote.

At Student Life, we commend the Chancellor’s willingness to reassure WashU’s researchers of the administration’s commitment to the university’s education and research.

We wonder whether there is the same willingness to publicly comment when it comes to the slew of anti-DEI initiatives, attacks on gender-affirming care, and ICE immigration arrests at schools across the nation. Martin says that the University prioritizes patient care above all — we ask, which patients? Where was this proclaimed commitment to our University’s principles when news spread that WashU’s transgender clinic was closing its doors to minors last summer?

As the Student Life editorial board, we call on Chancellor Martin and the WashU administration to stand up for minority students on campus, just as they do for their researchers.

It is unsurprising that the WashU administration would jump to address NIH cuts more so than other executive orders attacking higher education, due to the enormity of its financial impact. According to a recent Student Life estimate, had the cut been implemented last year, it would have cost WashU about $106 million of research funding. 

In his latest op-ed with The Chronicle of Higher Education, Martin claims that universities must return to the principles of excellence, academic freedom, freedom of expression, and a culture of civil discourse. 

If the administration believes a return to these core principles to be as necessary as they claim, we ask that they apply them equally to all challenges that higher education faces today, not just to those with the most significant financial impacts. WashU, raise your voice in support of everyone that is under attack by the Trump administration — don’t pick and choose which battles would most benefit you. 

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff.

Nina Giraldo | Editor in Chief 

Jordan Spector | Managing Forum Editor

Avi Holzman | Editor in Chief 

Elizabeth Grieve | Senior Scene Editor

Alice Gottesman | Managing Scene Editor

River Alsalihi | Junior Forum Editor

Sydney Tran | Head of Design

Kate Theerman Rodriguez | Junior Forum Editor

William Fieni-Thies | Junior Forum Editor

Sam Powers | Managing Photo Editor