Approximately 60 protesters gathered at the northeast entrance to Danforth Campus before marching to the foot of Brookings Hall to voice support for international students and oppose cuts to the Arts & Sciences PhD programs. (Tim Mellman | Staff Writer)

The Washington University Graduate Workers Union (WUGWU) organized a demonstration last Friday, May 1, to protest University funding cuts to College of Arts & Sciences graduate programs and demand increased protections for international students as part of nationwide May Day rallies and strikes calling for labor rights, among other causes.

In a statement to Student Life, WUGWU said the rally was organized to “say it loud and clear that workers actually do deserve more” and to call for “institutional support for international workers and scholars.”

Approximately 60 protesters initially gathered at the intersection of Forest Park Parkway and Skinker Boulevard around 2 p.m. for speeches from graduate students and former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, who represented the 1st Congressional District of Missouri from 2021 to 2025.

Protesters held signs demanding “ICE out,” criticizing the University’s $265 million transition to Workday, and calling for the rejection of the Trump administration’s higher education compact. Organizers led chants of “Budget cuts, they’re the worst, time to put the people first,” highlighting recent cuts to ArtSci graduate programs.

“Workers deserve sixth-year funding, cost-of-living stipend adjustments, and fully-funded academic programs that allow for the research and teaching that make St. Louis colleges and universities so great,” WUGWU wrote in a statement to Student Life.

After speeches, the protest moved to Brookings Hall and subsequently passed outside Weil Hall, where Chancellor Andrew D. Martin was present. The demonstration dispersed at 3:10 p.m. outside the corner of Forest Park Parkway and Skinker Boulevard. 

Julie Flory, vice chancellor for marketing and communications, wrote in an email comment to Student Life that “At WashU, we fully support free expression within the guidelines and policies that are in place for these activities.”

Humza Hemani, a representative of WUGWU and organizer of Friday’s rally, hands the microphone to former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush. (Tim Mellman | Student Life)

Protesting cuts to ArtSci PhD programs

Over the past year, the WashU College of Arts & Sciences has begun to make major cuts to PhD programs. The ArtSci administration informed department leadership in spring 2025 that future PhD candidates would only receive five years of guaranteed degree funding from the University, one year less than the current six. 

Additionally, in fall 2025, directors of graduate studies in each department were asked to draft plans that would reduce the number of University-funded PhD candidate positions over the next five years, with as many as two-thirds of PhD candidate spots cut in some programs. 

Along with other rally organizers, John Naughton, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mathematics, placed most of the blame on financial decisions made by WashU’s administration, including the transition to Workday, the acquisition of Fontbonne University and the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, and the paused construction of Riney Hall.

“[WashU’s] mission, as I see it, is excellence in scholarship, teaching, and clinical care. … Unfortunately, the people who make decisions about the future of our University don’t seem to hold the same mission at the heart of WashU. In the last year or so, we’ve seen our administration spend massive amounts of money on things unrelated to the teaching and research missions of our University,” Naughton said.

In an email comment to Student Life responding to WUGWU’s demands, Dean of Arts & Sciences Feng Sheng Hu said that funding for current graduate students would not change, while the shortening of PhD funding to five years, “aligns WashU with national funding practices and helps ensure that incoming doctoral students can complete their degrees in a timely and well-supported manner.” 

Hu added that PhD programs have been asked to “refine their curricula so that all doctoral requirements can be completed within five years, rather than the current six or more.”

Demanding greater protections for international students

Amid immigration crackdowns from the Trump administration, international graduate students like organizer and fourth-year PhD candidate Nikita Gupta have lived with uncertainty. Gupta’s father experienced a health emergency last spring, but concerns over immigration policies prevented her from traveling home to India.

“There is no plan to support international students if they get denied reentry at the airport,” Gupta said. “There is no plan to help us complete our studies and our work and get our degrees and move on with life.”

International students also face concerns of deportation on campus. While the University has put out guidance on what to do when approached by federal law enforcement, third-year PhD candidate Humza Hemani felt it was not enough.

“WashU needs to prepare for ICE in St. Louis,” Hemani said. “It is not enough to tell us to contact [the] WashU Police Department when police departments across the nation are increasingly cooperating with ICE. We demand WashU train students and all community members on Fourth Amendment rights under the Constitution — the right to refuse unlawful search and seizure.”

WUGWU also called for WashU to provide international students with legal counsel regarding immigration issues. Bush expressed concern that the lack of these resources prevents these students from using their voices. 

“It’s unacceptable for members of our community to have to fear the cancellation of visa appointments and threats [of] revocation of student visas as a result of political speech,” Bush said.

During the protest, WUGWU organizers circulated a petition highlighting seven demands, including that WashU establish itself as a sanctuary campus and refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, as well as provide clear communication surrounding these policies.

In an email comment to Student Life, Flory directed international students to the Office for International Students & Scholars.

Demonstration organizers distributed materials referencing immigration support policies of peer institutions, including a $100,000 International Student Worker Assistance Fund organized by the Harvard Graduate Student Union, as well as an International Graduate Employee Support Fund at Northwestern University, designed to reimburse students for costs related to visa applications. 

For Gupta, something must change.

“We are expected to show up for work and keep teaching and doing research, while half the population of this campus has an existential crisis with immigration, and that is not normal,” Gupta said.

Looking ahead

Naughton said for too long the University has relied on language to placate student concerns. Now, he wants to see action.

“All workers deserve a living wage and dignity in the workplace, and we all deserve a university that values education and research in action, not just in rhetoric.”