Penn unions rally to encourage administration to oppose federal funding cuts, canceling of diversity initiatives

As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to lord federal funding over universities whose policies he finds at odds with his worldview, a coalition of faculty, staff, and students from the University of Pennsylvania is insisting the institution take a stand against the president.

During a Thursday rally of hundreds that included members of at least six Penn unions, the coalition delivered a petition that included calls for the university to fill gaps amid federal funding cuts; uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; and stand up for LGBTQ members of the Penn community.

Penn did not respond to requests for comment regarding the protesters’ demands.

“Students like me make this school what it is, students like me provide Penn with its background on DEI, and Penn would not be what it is without us,” said Gabrielle Cayo, a sophomore and member of UMOJA, which aims to “unite students and student groups of the African Diaspora” at Penn.

The pleas for Penn to protect its community come as universities nationwide announce hiring freezes and other cost-cutting measures as federal funding hangs in limbo. Johns Hopkins University announced it would be letting go more than 2,000 workers as a result of the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, known as USAID, which the university worked closely with on public health issues and received significant funding from. Also this month, Columbia University lost $400 million in contracts and grants over its handling of antisemitic complaints.

Just Wednesday the White House announced it paused $175 million in federal funding — 17.5% of the roughly $1 billion Penn receives annually from the federal government — because Penn allowed transgender athlete Lia Thomas to compete on its women’s swimming team and break records in 2022.

Already at Penn, postdoctoral researchers like Chris Large have seen research funds disrupted. Though Large’s National Science Foundation funding was ordered reinstated by a federal judge, Penn’s unions estimate millions in research funds have been frozen or paused.

“We risk losing the entire generation of American-trained Ph.D. scientists to foreign countries,” Large said, urging Penn to fill funding gaps with its $22.3 billion endowment.

“If these changes to science funding stay the same, that next cure likely won’t be developed at a U.S. university, and if Penn does not stand with their employees, they similarly risk losing their competitiveness.”

Large, who is with Research Associates and Postdocs United at Penn, was backed by State Rep. Rick Krajewski and State Sens. Anthony H. Williams and Nikil Saval, all Philadelphia Democrats. Krajewski said Penn could not throw community members “to the wolves” out of fear of reprisal, saying it was time for the school “to use its immense resources in defense of its student body and its workforce.”

Penn’s response to the latest Trump funding pause fell short of the expectations of many, including members of Penn Museum Workers United (AFSCME Local 397) and the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR SEIU) who attended Thursday’s event.

The school, which had not received official notice of a pause, argued it had followed the regulations set by the NCAA and the Ivy League.

Critics of Penn’s response to the Trump administration’s threats accuse the school of “anticipatory obedience.” Penn has scrubbed mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives after the administration threatened to pull federal funding from schools that take part in those efforts.

Top of mind among those present at the rally was Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate student at Columbia University and green card holder, who took on a prominent role in pro-Palestinian protests last spring and was arrested by immigration authorities this month.

“I don’t see freedom when the government ignores judicial orders, and students and postdocs are being imprisoned and disappeared because of talking about the political beliefs or posting about them on social media,” said Meera Sundaram, a Penn genetics professor.

Community members who signed the petition also demanded the school uphold a 2016 sanctuary campus policy that essentially banned federal immigration authorities from campus and barred sharing of information about undocumented students without a warrant. Union leaders said their attempts to get the school to reaffirm its commitment to its immigrant student body and faculty remained ignored until Tuesday, two days before their publicized rally.

The school sent an email offering support services to its immigrant community that includes consultations with immigration attorneys to discuss travel bans and their potential effects and letters of attendance or employment to those traveling abroad.

Though the school did not mention the 2016 “sanctuary campus” policy by name, it did say access to school buildings — the Penn campus is largely open to the public and law enforcement — is limited to “law enforcement officers with judicial warrants or subpoenas.”

Administrative warrants are not enough to enter private Penn buildings, and law enforcement would require explicit permission, the school added.

Amy Offner, associate professor of history and president of AAUP-Penn, took the email as a small victory, adding the petition asked for broader legal support and trainings for the community so they know their rights should they counter immigration agents.

“After months of saying nothing, they conceded,” Offner said. “I think it shows that Penn can be moved, and now we need to get them to move on all the other issues.”

Still, almost all present said their school would require constant pressure. In a somewhat theatrical way, more than a dozen people rolled out the pages-long petition and walked it to College Hall, where two school representatives took the signatures but sent the group away.