As WashU continues to grapple with improving national name recognition and school identity, we caution the university against emulating Ivy Plus institutions and prioritizing rankings over becoming an institution that advances social progress.

Tenured faculty aged 60 or older with five or more years of experience at WashU received an email on Oct. 31 asking them to consider retiring. The email was sent from the respective deans of WashU’s seven schools on the Danforth Campus. Faculty who accept the offer would receive 1.5 times their annual salary plus $43,500, according to the email obtained by Student Life.

After hearing the news about two of our research librarians being fired this summer, I was shocked. WashU’s choice to respond to budget cuts in this way signals that our university is not valuing our librarians and their support for students.

The idea of consolidating humanities departments should never have occurred at a university of WashU’s stature. Yet sadly, the university experience has become more of a business instead of a site of meaningful self-exploration that the humanities encourages.

Approximately 20 protesters marched from Anheuser-Busch Hall around 1:10 p.m. this Friday to the steps of Brookings Hall. The march, following the protest on Oct. 23 against the University administration, included a beating of a drum and chants of “no compact for fascism.”

While Chancellor Martin may continue to be in talks with the Trump administration about the compact, we implore him and other members of the University’s administration to stand by the values and goals we have committed to as a University. Moreover, we call on him to take stances beyond the scope of this compact, as the Trump administration continues to make decisions impacting the WashU community, both on and off campus.

Amid staff layoffs and cuts to the University’s budget, Student Life spoke to a few faculty members about how comfortable they are speaking about administrative decisions. We reached out to seven professors of varying titles and of the three professors who agreed to interview, all were tenured.

It is not a stretch to say that the future of innovation is being negotiated right now. If Congress caps research funding or goes through with NIH and NSF cuts, WashU’s labs, students, and communities will severely suffer. Now is not a time to be passive.
WashU students have a responsibility and an opportunity to advocate for the research that saves lives and strengthens communities.

The Student Life Editorial staff believes that these six departments — and their academic independence — are imperative to the WashU community, especially given the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom, marginalized communities, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). As such, we are skeptical of the University’s stated intentions due to their lack of transparency in this process so far.

When Kehoe, Hanaway, or any Missouri political leader comes to campus next, we, Missouri’s future, have to show them that we vehemently disagree with the democratic backsliding that these lawmakers are either spearheading or complicit in.