When they illegally deported a doctor at Brown University, Yale was silent. When they illegally gutted John Hopkins’ USAID funding, still, Yale remained silent. Soon, they will come for Yale and no other institution will speak out because of the same fear that compels Yale to silence.

Cowed by the threat of losing federal funding, universities have prostrated themselves before the Trump administration. Such a surrender will only encourage more demands, further abuses, and the erosion of free expression.

Just recently, and with scarce public pushback, the Trump administration cut $175 million from the University of Pennsylvania. The money was taken because a transgender student competed in a swim meet three years ago. 

Trump is also investigating 45 schools, including Yale, for their relationships with the PhD Project. The investigation is specious: the PhD Project merely seeks to encourage diversity in business. Whether or not Yale chooses to be vocal, it should expect to face punishment. 

The Trump administration hopes to impose a culture of silence enforced by fear. Already, universities are walking on eggshells. Look no further than Yale’s most recent communication on DOGE’s gutting of government. The email purported to help students “navigate the changing landscape of federal government hiring.” Yale can do better than weak words, pale and proof-read by lawyers. 

The silencing of universities goes beyond the question of institutional neutrality. It is about power and the future of our nation. Universities can be a potent counterweight to the likes of Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Universities create ideas, instill values in millions and leave their imprint on public discourse. Muzzling America’s universities will fundamentally alter the balance of power, tilting the playing field in favor of those who oppose progress. 

So what can Yale do as an institution?

Yale ought to deploy its resources to speak up and speak loudly. It should coordinate with other schools in the legal fight against the Trump administration on science, vaccines, funding and civil rights. Yale should vocally call out the Trump administration’s worst excesses. If universities band together, they cannot be picked off one by one. 

Most importantly, Yale should work with other schools to restore Americans’ trust in higher education. The nation needs an aggressive, public campaign to counter attacks on science, research, and academic independence.

Yale and its peer institutions can make a convincing argument to gain public support. Universities contribute billions to the economy and develop technologies that save millions of lives. Yale, alone, pioneered the use of antibiotics and was the first to produce an X-ray.

Yet a case unmade is a case unheard. Millions of Americans have watched the Trump administration caricature universities as weak, out-of-touch and useless. How many Americans have heard universities meaningfully push back? 

Passivity will breed contempt. Inaction will encourage abuse. Silence will be our grave. Yale University must find its voice. They will come for us too.

ZACH PAN is the treasurer of the Yale College Democrats and a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College studying political science. He can be reached at zach.pan@yale.edu.