In response to the detainment of Tufts University international graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk on March 25, 2025, the editorial board of Student Life affirms the importance of student journalism for varying and opposing dialogue on contentious issues. We call upon our University administration to be proactive in protecting its students’ right to free speech. 

Öztürk, a Turkish doctoral student, was detained by several plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. This detainment comes nearly a year after Öztürk and three other Tufts graduate students published an op-ed calling on their university to, among other demands, adopt Tufts Community Union Senate resolutions and cut ties with Israel. 

Öztürk’s detainment is not an isolated event; Trump-aligned politicians have threatened to revoke legal immigration status to retaliate against free speech that displeases them. Marco Rubio, expressing support for ICE detaining Öztürk and other students, epitomized this pattern: “We gave you a visa to come study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses.” Though the Trump administration insists that Öztürk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” at the time of publication, neither the Department of Homeland Security nor Rubio have provided evidence.

The editorial board of Student Life condemns federal agents’ attacking of legal residents of the United States. These legal residents are entitled to the freedom of speech, granted by the First Amendment. It is deeply troubling that the constitutional liberties of students are devolving into conditional offers. Öztürk’s op-ed focused solely on the Tuft Senate’s resolutions and contained no threats of violence nor statements in support of Hamas. 

No one should have their legal immigration status threatened for nonviolently expressing their opinions.

We are committed to supporting students in expressing their beliefs through Student Life. We acknowledge the very real threat to the safety of immigrant students under the Trump administration, which has prided itself on its no-tolerance immigration policies. We are committed to providing guidance and working with vulnerable students who wish to write for the Forum section, to ensure their well-being and protection as best as we are able. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

We ask that all students and members of the WashU community, regardless of their political affiliations, be willing to protect everyone’s inalienable rights, whether that be through writing letters to the WashU administration or standing up for peers who are being threatened and targeted. We also urge the University administration to clearly and transparently state the actions it intends to take if a WashU international student’s visa or green card is revoked without the University’s consultation, and if federal agents attempt to detain a student on campus grounds. The WashU administration should commit to protecting its student body and student journalists from infringements upon their First Amendment rights. 

In his Feb. 18 email to the student body, Chancellor Martin reminded us that “excellence, academic freedom and free expression, and access” are the University’s core principles. Academic freedom and free expression should mean protection for students who express themselves in Student Life Newspaper, and access necessitates that those students are on campus and allowed to continue their studies. 

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.

Jordan Spector | Managing Forum Editor*

Sydney Tran | Editor-in-Chief

Avi Holzman | Editor-in-Chief*

Riley Herron | Editor-in-Chief

Nina Giraldo | Editor-in-Chief*

David Ciorba | Senior Forum Editor

Kate Theerman Rodriguez | Senior Forum Editor

Sylvie Richards | Managing Forum Editor

Amelia Raden | Senior Forum Editor

William Fieni-Thies | Junior Forum Editor*

Alice Gottesman | Managing Scene Editor*

Elizabeth Grieve | Senior Scene Editor

Sara Gelrud | Junior Scene Editor

Olivia Lee | Junior Scene Editor

Matt Eisner | Managing Sports Editor

Elias Kokinos | Senior Sports Editor* 

Tim Mellman | Newsletter Editor

Camden Maggard | Head of Social Media*

Quinn Moore | Managing Newsletter Editor

Kate Westfall | Managing Design Editor

Astrid Burns | Special Issues Editor

Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor

Madison Yue | Managing DEI Editor 

Cathay Poulsen | Managing Chief of Copy*

Mia Burkholder | Managing Chief of Copy

AnaElda Ramos | Managing Illustration Editor

*This editorial board meeting was conducted before our April 1 editor turnover. Asterisks indicate that these titles became former positions after April 1.