Thousands of University of California faculty and students gathered at UC campuses across the state Wednesday to condemn what they say is the Trump administration’s “assault on higher education” and to demand action from university and state leaders.
At Sproul Plaza on UC Berkeley’s campus, hundreds of faculty, staff and students gathered to decry the administration’s promises to slash the federal funding universities rely on for all kinds of research and to crack down on diversity initiatives. Trump’s team has opened investigations into more than 50 universities for alleged racial discrimination and antisemitism, sparking concerns about free speech restrictions and the targeting of international and immigrant students.
“American universities are the lifeblood of American democracy. If we are not free to do the teaching and research that sustains public life, democracy in America is lost,” said James Vernon, a UC Berkeley history professor. “We are concerned absolutely for the safety of our students and our ability to be able to teach sensitive subjects and politically controversial subjects. We’re not here to teach our students what to think. We’re here to teach our students how to think.”
James Vernon, a History professor at UC Berkeley, attends a rally against the Trump administration’s cuts to higher education funding and attacks on free speech, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The systemwide action comes as universities are reeling from the Trump administration’s plan to slash under a new research funding policy. The University of California also over claims the university system allowed an “antisemitic hostile work environment” on its campuses and UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara face on their campuses. UC Berkeley is also one of 45 universities being investigated by the Trump administration for
potentially billions of dollars in medical research at universities across the U.S.faces a U.S. Justice Department investigationcivil rights investigations into antisemitismallegedly using “racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.”
