Silence and acquiescence will not protect Northwestern and other universities from the Trump administration’s authoritarian attacks on democracy. The University must speak out now — or watch liberty and intellectual freedom be crushed.
In the United States, democracy’s foundational values — liberty, justice and the rule of law — are under direct assault by the Trump administration’s open use of authoritarian tactics.
From purging government institutions to pardoning the Jan. 6 insurrectionists to ignoring court orders, the Trump administration is attacking democratic principles at an alarming speed. This is not a drill. For NU and other U.S. institutions of higher education, silence is complicity.
Dismantling the rights we hold dear and gutting civil society are antithetical to our educational mission. Universities have always thrived in and strengthened free societies. With that freedom actively under threat, higher education has a duty to respond — not as political entities, but as guardians of intellectual and social freedom.
Universities in general, and NU in particular, are uniquely equipped to actively oppose authoritarian threats. That’s true not just because of our moral and vocational authority as educators, but also because of our shared commitment to research, innovation and scientific advancement, and the university’s historic role in fostering art, culture and humanities.
I call on NU students, faculty, staff and leadership to educate one another and the broader public about these challenges — and to lead other universities in opposing the autocratic putsch underway. We must show courage on behalf of democracy.
The authoritarian playbook in action
Yes, President Trump was duly elected. But so were many autocratic dictators throughout history, who then dismantled the system that brought them to power. President Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign clearly announced his goal of unrestricted power through delegitimizing the constitutional system of checks and balances about which I regularly teach. He promised to prosecute rivals, punish critical media and deploy the military to suppress protest.
Now, Trump’s promises are becoming policy. The Justice Department, FBI, IRS and even the military have been systematically purged of impartial officials and stacked with loyalists. These weaponized government institutions are launching efforts to intimidate opposition politicians, undermine independent journalism and crack down on dissent.
Pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters sent the chilling message that violence will be tolerated and forgiven when done in Trump’s name. The rise in physical threats against Republican politicians unwilling to fall in line shows how fear and intimidation can silence dissent.
We’ve seen this playbook executed by authoritarian regimes in Hungary, Russia, Turkey, Venezuela and elsewhere. But we’ve also seen that such regimes can be stopped when civil society reacts decisively. With moral clarity and collective action, the power of the people can ultimately prevail. Unfortunately, the reaction has been tepid in the U.S. thus far.
A collective action problem
Every institution in civil society has its reasons to acquiesce to the demands of this president. Weaponized government threatens to withhold resources or target dissenting institutions with harm. Many of the institutions we rely on to bolster our democratic ideals are vulnerable. Media outlets fear lawsuits and regulatory retaliation. Business leaders hesitate to jeopardize profits or partnerships.
Universities, too, have good reason to stay quiet, hoping to avoid cuts to government funding, intrusive investigations and new taxes. But this strategy of self-preservation comes at an unfathomable cost. When civil society’s most prominent voices stay quiet, democracy weakens. Silence doesn’t just preserve authoritarianism; it speeds its rise.
NU must overcome this inertia and act quickly to defend democracy. It is terrifying to contemplate a United States that stands with dictators and crushes dissenters. The stakes are too high, and the timeline too short, to do otherwise.
Universities must take the lead
We cannot count on others to fight this fight for us.
Here is how NU can lead:
1. Speak out, clearly and forcefully
NU’s leadership, particularly our Board of Trustees and President Michael Schill, must take a public stand against the assaults on democracy. In speeches, op-eds, university-wide statements and more, we must remind the nation that defending democracy transcends politics. Silence betrays our civic responsibility.
Because defending democracy is not partisan, such a stance remains consistent with NU’s recent commitment to institutional neutrality. Our own statement of neutrality articulates “our firm commitment to values about which we are not neutral: fostering open and equitable dialogue and advancing the university’s core mission — the pursuit of knowledge in the service of truth.” Silence betrays those values.
2. Coordinate collective action among universities
NU must lead efforts to mobilize universities nationwide. Collaborative action can amplify higher education’s collective voice to demand accountability and uphold democratic principles. Universities have successfully organized around issues, such as climate action and federal research funding. We must bring that same energy to safeguarding democracy.
Prominent leaders at some universities have begun to fight back. Consider Georgetown Law School’s Dean William Treanor’s letter defying acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, who threatened not to hire any Georgetown graduates unless the university removed its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Treanor’s letter called Martin’s demand a constitutional violation of the First Amendment.
Or consider a detailed memo, issued by a number of law school faculty (including Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of the University of California, Berkeley) concerning the same demand requiring universities to end DEI initiatives, in the Jan. 21, 2025 Executive Order and Dear Colleague letter. This memo argues compellingly in favor of laws governing non-discrimination. NU can lead in defying other unconstitutional demands. Scholars at other prominent institutions of higher learning are urging their Universities to do the same.
We are more powerful — and democracy is safer — when we act together. NU’s vast network of scholars, alumni and partners can leverage our institutional influence and privilege as we convene forums, provide platforms for advocates of democracy and support grassroots movements that uphold the rule of law. Like other civic organizations, we must be willing to state with pride that NU supports the rule of law.
3. Resist attempts at authoritarian control
Universities worldwide often find themselves in the crosshairs of authoritarian regimes, precisely because they are bastions of free thought and innovation. Institutions that stand down in the name of neutrality or self-preservation seldom escape eventual reprisal.
NU must resist any attempts to compromise its autonomy and academic freedom, recognizing that a defensive retreat only hastens the erosion of liberty for all.
Universities that remain passive in the face of these attacks not only fail to defend democracy but also lose their capacity to thrive in the very societies they aim to educate.
A historical turning point
Moral heroes have long stood against anti-democratic challenges as daunting as those we face. Consider the fight for abolition that led to the Civil War; the civil rights crusaders within Jim Crow America; or the liberal democracies that fought against fascism during World War II. Democracy only survives when individuals and institutions stand up for justice under threat.
Appeasement, neutrality and silence may protect NU temporarily, but that path leads to shame and regret. It will damage our democracy and erode the academic freedom and autonomy upon which our university was built.
NU’s values compel us to act. Democracy may be under assault, but its demise is not inevitable. We must resist, educate and lead. The defense of democracy is NU’s fight, and all of ours. Silence is collaboration in dismantling democracy. Will we, as a university, defend the freedoms that sustain us? History will judge us by our choices today.
Laura Beth Nielsen is a Professor of Sociology at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and a Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation. She can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
