On March 27, President Safa Zaki and Chair of the Board of Trustees Scott Perper received a letter from the House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Workforce addressing the College’s response to antisemitism on campus.

The committee demanded that the College send over all documentation associated with disciplinary action for the encampment, all information surrounding the agreements made that ended the encampment and a list of all antisemitic occurrences on campus since October 7, 2023. The letter states that the College must comply with these demands by April 10 at 12:00 p.m.

The letter does not explicitly declare the outcome of a refusal to comply, but the committee hints that a failure to meet its standards may risk the College’s “federal support.”

The Trump administration’s move to threaten federal funding and freedom of expression is a part of its broader attack on colleges and universities. After Trump recently moved to dismantle the Department of Education, the relationship between education and the government is fragile. As the future of higher education remains in limbo, we have a shared responsibility to protect each other.

The right to express political opinion and protest is clearly stated in the First Amendment, but the Trump administration has restrained students from using said rights guaranteed to all people, regardless of citizenship. Visa-holding international students have been specifically attacked by this administration, like in the case of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk.

It has become essential to use the privileges afforded by citizenship status to advocate for your peers who may fear engaging in political speech themselves.

Beyond just international students, education is widely seen as a means of social mobility, which is especially applicable at an elite college like Bowdoin. If the government further restricts educational freedoms, this prevents students from fully engaging with what institutions like ours have to offer.

As those who engage in political dissent are under threat, it is now more important than ever to protect our personal freedoms and to speak out for those who cannot. As students of a liberal arts institution that champions the common good, we cannot turn a blind eye to injustice.

The future of funding and consequences for higher education may be uncertain, but it remains our responsibility to advocate for students who have been put at risk by the executive administration—and to protect them too. Bowdoin is meant to be a safe place for our community.

This editorial represents the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is composed of Lily Echeverria, Catalina Escobedo, Eve Foley, Sadie O’Neill, Kristen Kinzler and Vaughn Vial.