On October 1st, the Trump Administration sent the 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education' to UVA. This letter is a transparent attempt to exert authoritarian control over universities and enforce the government's right-wing ideals, thinly cloaked in the language of fairness. In its section on "free speech," it demands that the First Amendment rights of students be violated, calling for the suppression of any criticism of "conservative ideals". In its section on "non-discrimination," it demands that transgender students be openly discriminated against and that minority spaces be eliminated. It targets international students as "noxious" and claims that they spread "anti-American ideals." It forbids current sociopolitical happenings, in particular the U.S.-Zionist genocide in Gaza, from even being discussed in the classroom and actively targets student disruption and protest against injustice. The compact makes all of these demands using the leverage of withholding federal funding—a blatantly illegal tactic which has already successfully been fought in court.

If UVA signs this compact, it will become clearer than ever that this university has no qualms in selling out and abandoning its students, its faculty, its staff, and the Charlottesville community for financial gain. We will not let this university continue to capitulate unchallenged. We will not allow them to hide behind a notion of giving voice to students and faculty while all decisions are made under the counter by a "working group" in which we have no say.

Pressure the University by promising that, unless this compact is rejected in its entirety, you will withhold any donations you would have made. The Trump administration is demanding that this decision be made by October 20th, so act urgently!