As the Oct. 20 deadline for “limited, targeted” feedback approaches, University of Arizona students, alumni and staff protested Friday to demand that the university reject the Trump administration’s proposed Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education — which higher-education leaders and faculty groups across the country have criticized as a threat to academic freedom and institutional independence.
The demonstration drew more than 100 participants from across the UA community. Protesters assembled outside of Old Main before marching to the Administration building and back, chanting slogans, holding signs and distributing flyers outlining concerns about the compact’s potential impact on university autonomy.
The event was organized by a coalition of 18 student and campus groups, including the Climate Action Campaign, Students for Socialism, Pride Alliance, UA College Dems and the Black Student Association. Together, they urged UA President Suresh Garimella and the Arizona Board of Regents to stand with other universities that have already declined to sign the compact.
According to Luke Felix-Rose, a junior and member of the Climate Action Campaign, the scale of the coalition reflects growing unity among campus organizations and solidarity with students nationwide.
“Eighteen groups have joined the effort at UA alone,” Felix-Rose said. “And the movement spans the nine universities that received the compact. We’re here to support our friends and mentors who could be affected.”
Introduced on Oct. 1, the compact offers preferential federal funding to universities that align with specific policy and political directives, including capping international student enrollment, freezing tuition rates for 5 years and enforcing expanded protections for conservative speech.
The Trump administration has described the proposal as a way to promote fairness and fiscal responsibility in higher education, but university leaders and policy experts have warned that it could politicize academic governance and restrict institutional autonomy.
As of Oct. 17, five universities — the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia — have publicly rejected the compact, with MIT being the first university to reject the form on Oct. 10.
In response to growing backlash, the White House has continued reaching out to universities still reviewing the agreement, emphasizing what it describes as the benefits of increased federal support and alignment with national priorities.
On campus, faculty opposition to the compact has been strong.
The UA Faculty Senate voted to oppose the compact on Oct. 6, urging university leadership to reject it as well with the resolution passing 40–8 with one abstention.
In a statement released Oct. 9, Garimella acknowledged that the compact had sparked widespread debate within the university community. According to Garimella, the administration is consulting with the ABOR and shared governance leaders to carefully evaluate the proposal before issuing a formal response.
According to UA alumna Margaret Brooks, she attended Friday’s protest to support academic freedom and the university community she feels is being put at risk.
“The compact creates a no-win situation that could compromise the integrity of UA’s research and teaching,” Brooks said. “A university should remain open, free and independent of political influence.”
Throughout the rally, students carried banners reading “No Compact, No Compromise” and “Protect Academic Freedom.”
ASUA President Adriana Grijalva described the demonstration as a defense of the university’s mission and values, warning that the compact could jeopardize diversity initiatives and silence marginalized voices on campus. “This agreement goes against the principles of inclusion and academic freedom that define UA,” Grijalva said.
As the protest concluded, organizers encouraged attendees to sign petitions, meet with administrators and continue mobilizing in the days leading up to the Oct. 20 deadline. Many stated that they hoped the university would soon make a clear public statement rejecting the compact.
Garimella and the ABOR have until Nov. 21 to make a final decision on whether to sign the compact. UA Spokesperson Mitch Zak said in a statement the university is “reviewing it carefully.”
