Ahead of President Suresh Garimella’s announcement that the University of Arizona would decline to sign the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence as it’s currently written, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona held a press conference at Old Main to share final thoughts from students.
Discussions around the proposed compact sparked widespread controversy amongst students and faculty, who argued it would put academic freedom at risk. Although Garimella declined to sign the compact on Oct. 20, it’s unclear if the UA administration is opposed to signing a reworked version of the Compact.
On Oct. 14, multiple speakers stood in front of Old Main and addressed their issues with the compact on a variety of viewpoints.
Some of the groups that attended included: UArizona Feminist Organized to Resist, Create & Empower, Pride Alliance, Students for Socialism and UA College Democrats.
Speaker Alyssa Norris, the president of the Planned Parenthood: Generation Action club on campus, spoke on behalf of the club’s advocacy. “Our compliance now will open up to the same in the future,” Norris said.
Norris discussed her beliefs on how the compact could impact Planned Parenthood.
“In order for us to recognize the people who need reproductive health services, the people who can’t access abortion, sex education, breast cancer screenings, STI testing and pregnancy testing,” Norris said. “We have to think about equity.”
One of the components in the compact outlines equality in both admissions and facilities on campus. Appealing to this would continue to cut back on the University’s policies regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
According to speaker Eddie Barrón, an at-large student body senator of ASUA, they needed to soundly reject the compact. “Right now it is international students and specific language for gender, but what will it be next if we comply?” Barrón said.
The compact specifically mentions that it would cap the total of international students at 15%. “International students make up more than 15% of our student body right now […] this compact letter directly puts that at stake,” Barrón said.
A report from Arizona International from September 2024 reported that the University had reached 7,247 international students during the 2023–2024 academic year.
Although the compact was not signed, Garimella did not seem to answer lingering questions. In the past, many students felt Garimella remained silent with regards to major decisions such as the consolidation of cultural centers this past spring.
“We’re really hoping that gives him enough pressure, but at the same time, his administration has not listened to us in the past,” Norris said.
“We did not get any notice from the University […] not one person in the undergraduate student government would have been able to give them an answer because we weren’t communicated with by University Administration,” Barrón said.
