University That Already Shook Hands With Trump Rejects Latest Proposal

Brown University announced on Wednesday that it has rejected the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence despite signing a resolution agreement with the federal government in July.

The administration offered Brown and eight other schools an optional agreement requiring the schools to refrain from hiking tuition prices and using illegal race-based preferences in admissions in exchange for preferential treatment in grant decisions. Brown is the second school to reject the proposal, just a week after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“But while a number of provisions in the Compact reflect similar principles as the July agreement — as well as our own commitments to affordability and the free exchange of ideas — I am concerned that the Compact by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance, critically compromising our ability to fulfill our mission,” Brown’s announcement reads.

The Ivy League institution said it shares the goal of maintaining a healthy relationship with the federal government and intends to uphold its July agreement.

Brown entered the July resolution agreement with the Trump administration after the federal government froze