Students, staff, State Representatives and residents of Connecticut rallied together to support the continuation of support for higher education on April 17 for the University of Connecticut’s Day of Action for higher education.
This Day of Action was celebrated across all UConn campuses.
The event addressed the multiple executive orders made by the Trump administration that threatened the revocation of countless student visas and federal grants being taken away from students as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and the federal funding that supported them.
The event was divided into two segments, a rally that was held on the Student Union terrace and a press conference that was held inside on the third floor of the building.
The changes in location for the event was due to UConn’s Outdoor Amplified and Projected Sound Policy.
The policy states its purpose as “to manage and regulate the use of outdoor Amplified and Projected Sound on University Property to ensure a conducive academic environment,” according to UConn’s Office of University Compliance.
The Outdoor Amplified and Projected Sound Policy was one of the reasons that UConn faced setbacks with previous demonstrations.
“During the summer of 2024, UConn revised its noise policies related to outdoor activities following the pro-Palestine student-led protests on campus,” according to an article by The Daily Campus.
Speakers at the event included many political figures such as former Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rep. Joe Courtney, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and State Sen. Mae Flexer.
The event also featured Assistant Professor in Residence of Higher Education and Student Affairs Adam McCready, Associate Professor of English Kathleen Tonry, biomedical engineering PhD student Alex Blagojevic and PhD of Political Science candidate Lily Luo.
Each of the speakers mentioned a different perspective towards their advocacy for academic freedom.
Tonry defined academic freedom as being, “to pursue things such as diversity, equity and inclusion, it’s the freedom to have genuine intellectual inquiry without fear of words that we can’t say or use,” outlining that universities have always supported research and the entirety of their student body regardless of their backgrounds and should remain that way.
Those who attended the rally were all advocating for higher education accessibility for all people, sharing their experiences, with the overarching theme of keeping huskies [students] at UConn.
Freshman marketing major, Gabriella Francis, explained that though the federal funding cuts would not affect her tuition it is important that she supported less fortunate students.
“I believe other students who don’t have an opportunity to speak out and need federal funding should be able to have that,” said Francis.
Blagojevic, a former cancer patient, shed a perspective on ways that those battling with illness could be affected by these funding cuts.
Had these cuts been made earlier, he would not be here today and encouraged fighting for the cancer patients of tomorrow.
“Every single drug in my chemo regimen was developed in full or in part by NIH research,” Blagojevic said.
Another issue continuously brought up across most all speakers at the event addressed international student’s student visas being jeopardized or revoked, which has recently become a concern.
Lou mentioned Rutgers University’s recently introduced Mutual Defense Compact to keep students and the community safe for all peoples regardless of their citizenship status. They continued saying that universities should be focusing on fostering a safe learning environment that does not restrict free speech.
After hearing speakers rally outside of the Union, the crowd moved inside to attend the press conference.
“Hands off Huskies, Huskies move in packs,” was chanted by the crowd while transitioning inside.
During the press conference, Blumenthal focused more on the research that UConn was conducting and the importance of research, it is not only a healthy learning environment but benefits life outside of higher education.
“Where academic freedom [UConn] and learning and teaching are your way of life it’s you’re DNA, it’s what you do, not just for a living but to live,” Blumenthal said.
Speakers closed out by reiterating the importance of standing together as a united front and stating that it was up to the university to stand with its students, ending off with a message of hope.
“The energy in this room is out there, people are not being cowed by the stuff we are seeing from the federal government, people are coming out, the spark of protest is alive,” Vials said.
