Georgetown University community members defended their right to academic freedom after Columbia University agreed to federal government demands to crack down on pro-Palestine protests.
The Trump administration withheld $400 million from Columbia University, leading a university-led “review” of its programs in Middle Eastern, South Asian and African studies, amid the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a leading pro-Palestine protester. In response, Columbia announced March 21 it would hire a senior vice provost to oversee its Middle East, South Asian and African Studies departments for at least five years, as well as identify all student protesters, ban masks at demonstrations, hire additional public safety officers and advance a university-run center in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Federal immigration agents also detained Georgetown researcher Badar Khan Suri March 17 for pro-Palestine social media posts, but the Trump administration has not threatened Georgetown’s funding as of March 27.
Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26), president of the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA), said Trump’s actions threaten civil liberties, highlighting Khan Suri’s detainment as an example of the Trump administration’s impact on Georgetown.
“We’re living in a time when the president can determine what policies a university has and how a university treats their students as a political move because he disagrees with the speech of those students,” Henshaw told The Hoya. “That’s, frankly, quite absurd, and it’s terrifying to see it on our doorstep. This is the sort of behavior of a dictatorship and it’s coming to Georgetown.”
Nico Cefalu (CAS ’27), president of Georgetown’s chapter of the legal advocacy nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said federal interference in universities is antithetical to the schools’ educational mission.
“It’s a foundational idea that universities can have full discretion to teach whatever they want,” Cefalu told The Hoya. “That’s the point of having the First Amendment. Most people develop their opinions through school, through the environments they’re in. If you control those environments, you’re going to control what people think.”
Georgetown officials have responded to perceived federal attempts to limit free speech by committing to academic freedom.
After the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia pushed back on the Georgetown University Law Center’s (GULC) DEI efforts, GULC Dean William Treanor reaffirmed his commitment to diversity in a letter sent March 6.
Interim university President Robert M. Groves also said the university’s Jesuit values demand a commitment to free speech in an email sent to Georgetown community members March 25. In his email, Groves described Khan Suri’s detainment as “troubling” and defended the university community’s academic freedom.
“The Jesuit commitment to inter-religious and inter-group dialogue demands that we protect the freedom to articulate ideas and beliefs, that we build a community that respects their presentation and that we together use the different perspectives to do what the human spirit was designed to do — seek the truth as a way to deepen our understanding of the world around us,” Groves wrote in the email. “The Jesuits do these things for the greater glory of God and to advance the common good.”
Dhruv Shah (SFS ’26), co-chair of Georgetown University College Democrats (GUCD), said Georgetown should rely on other financial sources rather than caving to demands if its federal funding is threatened.
“If Georgetown does experience similar threats, they should do what Columbia should’ve done: stand up to the Trump administration, fight for the institution’s first amendment rights, use our endowment to cover funding gaps and launch a fundraising campaign,” Shah wrote to The Hoya.
“There are so many Americans and frankly people around the world who would support Georgetown by donating something as a way to fight back against the Trump administration,” Shah added.
GUSA vice president Darius Wagner (CAS ’27) said he appreciates the university’s support of free speech and statements on Khan Suri but hopes the administration communicates with students more openly.
“We really need the admin to communicate with the student body the actions they’re taking, so the students know that Georgetown isn’t like Columbia, isn’t caving on these policies fully but is going to stand — and also to give students a reassurance that they’re going to stand for all our students on campus,” Wagner told The Hoya.
“It’s vital that the administration isn’t just sending out letters about our values, but is also coming to the students and saying, ‘This is what we’re doing to advocate for our values and to ensure your protection,’” Wagner added.
A university spokesperson said Georgetown defends the free speech of its community members.
“We are committed to providing an academic and work environment where all members of our community can thrive, are treated fairly, welcomed and respected and do their best work,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya.
Wagner said while the Trump administration’s actions are concerning, they prove how student voices are powerful.
“If the president is doing all this to silence student voices across the country, to quell dissent, to quell academic freedom, it makes you really think and reflect about how powerful all of those values are and how powerful each of our individual voices are,” Wagner said. “The president is that weak to resort to cracking down on universities because he doesn’t like what they’re saying.”
Henshaw said students should rally in support of academic freedom and against the Trump administration.
“I have faith that the students here and the students at Columbia are going to rally against these things and keep speaking their minds and keep speaking their truths and talking about what matters to them — and they’re not getting frightened,” Henshaw said. “I’m concerned, but I’m also optimistic about the power the students have.”