AnaElda Ramos | Illustration Editor

Following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, members of the WashU community expressed uncertainty and concerns over proposed policies of the new administration that could impact large groups of students and reshape University practices. 

J.D. Burton, Vice Chancellor for Government & Community Relations, indicated that the University is taking a wait-and-see approach toward the Trump administration.

“We’re always paying close attention to what’s happening in Washington,” Burton wrote in a statement to Student Life. “This is especially true anytime a new administration is taking office. There are always federal issues that are important to higher education and to WashU, and we will advocate in areas that will have a direct impact on our mission.”

Faculty and students alike expressed concerns over how international students may be affected by the Trump administration. Multiple U.S. universities, not including WashU, released statements in recent months advising international students to exercise elevated levels of caution.

One junior international student from China—who wished to remain anonymous due to her pending citizenship application—spoke about the anxiety international students such as herself have felt since Trump secured re-election.

“I have friends who wanted to go abroad or back home over break but chose to stay [in the U.S.] because they were scared about their status being removed,” the student said. “I am scared of [my visa] being revoked because of how long my family has tried to get citizenship. If Trump hadn’t been elected president in 2016, I would have gotten my citizenship in 2017 or 2018.”

The anonymous student also warned that the Trump administration may act as a deterrent to prospective students who plan on applying to U.S. universities.

“You have to think about the financial commitment these international families are making as they send kids to these schools that don’t offer much aid,” the student said. “Making that kind of financial commitment is difficult under this political uncertainty.”

Matteo B. Ciarbonetti — a third-year Italian exchange student in his final year of college — echoed the anonymous student’s sentiments about prospective international students.

“[Some] students wouldn’t even be able to apply for a college in the States because it could be harder to find a sponsor for the visa,” Ciarbonetti wrote. “I really think that it could depend on your home country and its relationship with the US government, but generally, it will definitely be harder getting permission to not just study but to live in the US.”

Others, like seniors Will Gunter and Celia Rattner — Washington University Political Review (WUPR) Editors-in-Chief — said that they hoped WashU would take steps to protect international students. 

“If any student does find themselves in an issue with immigration services, I hope that WashU will be there to advocate for them,” Gunter said. “I mean, it’s a school with an amazing number of resources.”

Many college communities have also expressed concern over the potential for the Trump administration to identify and subsequently deport undocumented students through the use of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data or reinterpreted Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines.

Andy Sobel, Professor of Global Studies, said that such moves may impede WashU in its efforts to foster a diverse intellectual community.

“One of the great aspects of the US university system is the recruitment of talent from all over the world, fostering exploration, discovery, intellectual collaboration, creativity, and invention of new ideas, insights, [and] inventions,” Sobel wrote to Student Life. “Erecting barriers to such flow of talent and ideas will have costs.”

Among his proposed policies, Trump has threatened to strip accreditation from U.S. universities that continue Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. 

Rebecca Wanzo — Chair of the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies — expressed grave concern over an executive order signed by President Trump that restricts certain rights of transgender individuals and legally defines gender as being aligned with biological sex at conception. 

“The Executive Order suggests that transgender and non-binary people should not exist,” Wanzo wrote to Student Life. “If that perspective wins out in public policy, it will obviously affect our trans and non-binary students, staff, and faculty at Washington University.”

Wanzo also warned of the threat the Trump administration potentially poses to various fields of study, including her own.

“There are those who may not want us to teach, but the interest in and study of gender and sexuality cannot be disappeared from the university or the world,” she wrote. 

As for freedom of expression, Gunter and Rattner said that the ubiquity of President Trump in news headlines may actually boost political speech on campus.

“We tend to have more submissions when controversial headlines grace our papers,” Rattner said. “I think our most-attended meeting of the year was right after the election. So I think people are just going to want an outlet to vent, or to agree, or to just voice their opinions.”

Conversely, Sobel was concerned that the Trump administration may restrict free speech on university campuses.

“This [administration] could affect how comfortable, or uncomfortable, students are about sharing their thoughts and insights, affecting the flow of ideas that makes our institutions of higher ed so special,” Sobel wrote. 

Some WashU administrators mentioned that, while it is early, the Trump administration may not affect universities any more than previous presidencies. Following widespread outcry over federal freezes on hiring and grants, Mark E. Lowe, Vice Chancellor for Research, addressed the freezes in an online post via the WashU Research News website.

“It has been standard practice for new presidential administrations to temporarily pause certain agency operations upon taking office to complete administrative reviews of the agency,” Lowe wrote. He went on to note that University research is largely “business as usual.”

However, some, such as Sobel, view hiring and funding freezes — which are currently being challenged in federal court — as antithetical to research practices and as hindrances for institutions of higher education. 

“Anti-science views can affect key funding streams and initiatives, influencing who is on campus, what they are studying, [and] what we are researching in our labs,” Sobel wrote.

Senior Hussein Amuri, Student Union (SU) President, explained in a written statement to Student Life that he is still gathering information about how to support students.

“Student Union has met in the past with and plans to reach out to JD Burton, the Vice Chancellor for Government and Community Relations, and his team to learn more about how the university plans to support students and what resources are in place if students need any,” Amuri wrote. 

Erin McGlothlin, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs and Gloria M. Goldstein Professor of Holocaust Studies, wrote to Student Life on behalf of Undergraduate Affairs and Arts & Sciences that she is unsure how the Trump administration will ultimately impact WashU students.

“I think at this point it’s hard to say exactly how the new presidential administration will affect the university landscape,” McGlothlin wrote. “But, I can say that Dean [Feng Sheng] Hu and I are attentive to new developments, and we are focused on giving our students an excellent undergraduate education.” 

Representatives from the McKelvey School of Engineering, Olin Business School, and Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts declined to comment. Additionally, Student Financial Services; the Office of the University Registrar; Rob Wild, Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students; and numerous Arts & Sciences department chairs declined to comment. 

Chancellor Andrew Martin did not respond to a request for an interview. Julie Flory, Vice Chancellor for Marketing & Communications, referred Student Life to Burton.