In September of this year, the Trump administration announced a new price tag for H-1B visa fees: $100,000. The previous fees ranged between $2,000 and $5,000. Several months later, there are new signs of what the future of H-1B visas could look like.

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.

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin explained his decision to meet with Trump administration officials to discuss their proposed compact for higher education in a University-wide email sent Monday morning. He also noted in the message that his participation in the meeting does not mean WashU has endorsed or signed the document.

Anyone who decides that the best way to honor Charlie Kirk’s life is to misconstrue his advocacy and forget what he stood for is likely deeply misguided about what it means to honor the dead. Either that, or they are painfully aware that Kirk’s true beliefs would not be heralded as the gleaming examples of civil advocacy that many sources might have you believe. People scrubbing his reputation evidently don’t care about making their remembrances accurate, just more easily digestible for the general public. In this case, being honest about Kirk’s character would only reveal how much hate and divisiveness he infused into U.S. political discourse.

Trump’s use of AI is dangerous not because of the absurdity of these images, but because they normalize the capricious use of this technology. Indiscriminate posting of these images means an overwhelming amount of AI-generated content finds its way onto millions of pages and feeds.

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.

You are beginning your college journey during a period marked by uncertainty, fear, anger, and a sense of helplessness — a reality shared by students who started in recent years amid events like the first election of President Donald Trump, the pandemic, and nationwide protests met with force on college campuses.

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.

He kept threatening to “repeal and replace” Obamacare; he attempted a “Muslim Ban”; he advocated for higher police force when it came to protests; he told Colin Kaepernick to get up. My God, he kept messing with North Korea. But what my parents, sister, and many others saw as irreparable damage being done to the stability of our democracy — whatever little remained — the rest of America only saw as stand-up material.

I agree with Ciorba that nobody should be blaming or scapegoating marginalized communities for the outcome of the 2024 election; that’s shameful. However, let’s not start playing the victim or making excuses, either.