Vanderbilt students and staff gathered on Oct. 8 at 3:15 p.m. CST and marched from Wyatt Center to Kirkland Hall to deliver the Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United petition against Trump’s compact to Vanderbilt administration. As of publication, the petition has been signed by over 1,000 Vanderbilt students, staff, faculty and alumni.
The compact’s demands include capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, freezing tuition for five years, reinstating mandatory standardized testing, curbing grade inflation, enforcing rigid definitions of gender and prohibiting the consideration of race or sex in hiring and admissions. It also proposes that universities with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate student offer free tuition to students in “hard science” fields. The petition urges Vanderbilt University not to sign the compact, arguing that its provisions would undermine the university’s commitment to free speech rights on campus and open learning in higher education.
Jade Miller, a fifth-year graduate student in biomedical sciences and an organizer of the protest, said that despite it being almost fall break and during the workday, the turnout was “solid.”
“It appears to be a very solid mix of grad students, undergrads and faculty,” Miller said. “I feel like certainly the people here represent interests from across the university, and people care enough to make some space in their schedule.”
Miller said that Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United was “pleasantly surprised” at how quickly the petition gained traction.
“All of [Vanderbilt Graduate Workers United] are very much aware of the fact that our university’s admin hasn’t necessarily taken the strongest stance against Trump or the strongest stance in favor of freedom of speech for higher education,” Miller said.
The group began walking from Wyatt Center to Kirkland Hall around 3:30 p.m. CST. The protesters played drums and said various chants along the way, including “no compact,” “show me what community looks like” and “hands off Vandy.”
“If Vanderbilt doesn’t stand 10 toes down against this compact, that’s just proving to people that they’re just in it to gather attention, to gather money from people, to kind of monetize this idea of diversity and free speech,” Miller said. “And that’s not a very genuine thing for the university to do.”
Protestors arrived at Kirkland Hall around 4:00 p.m. CST holding handmade signs that read “Reject Trump’s Compact” and “Vanderbilt’s Future > Trump’s Future,” among other messages. Then, Lynne Berry, a faculty member in VUMC’s department of biostatistics, gave a speech.
“We are here today to show our power and insist that our leaders stand for something,” Berry said. “We ask nothing more — and certainly nothing less — than for our senior leaders to adhere to their own stated principles and values to the long-held, oft-repeated principles and values of this institution. Our institution.”
Sophomore Zofia Hunter spoke after Berry. In her speech, she highlighted that earlier in the day, Vanderbilt Student Government sent a poll to the student body regarding the compact. According to VSG president Soham Saraf, 1,136 undergraduate students have responded to the poll. 22% voted for and 78% voted against signing the compact as of publication. Hunter also said that “the compact would threaten to erase curriculum containing anything the Trump administration deems dangerous.”
“In my medical ethics class, would my classmates and I be able to discuss abortion as a viable means of care in case studies?” Hunter said. “Would my peers and I be able to learn about stem cell research, genetically modified organisms and intersex individuals in our introductory biology courses? In my rap and hip-hop culture class, would my professor have to skip over racism, police brutality and benign neglect practiced by the U.S. government?”
Max Hamilton, a doctoral candidate in cancer biology, rounded out the speakers. Afterward, a small group of students and professors hand-delivered the petition to a member of Vanderbilt’s administration.
“I think that there are a few moments in history where a very small number of people can go and influence the course of history, how things will happen long term,” Hamilton said. “By coming here today, you could be preventing Vanderbilt from being the first domino to fall as more and more schools eventually give in and capitulate to Trump.”
Vanderbilt is currently reviewing the compact and providing feedback to the administration, according to a university representative.
“Our review is grounded in our independent judgment, pursuit of excellence and long-standing commitment to academic freedom and open inquiry,” the representative said in a statement to The Hustler. “We appreciate that our community is engaging thoughtfully on issues that impact higher education, and we continue to encourage open dialogue and civil discourse across our campus.”
Ariel • Oct 11, 2025 at 12:40 am CDT
Vanderbilt should sign the compact. The Graduate Workers United at Vanderbilt has practically destroyed the graduate programs in the humanities by being ungrateful, demanding brats. The administration would be wise to see what the Graduate Union thinks and do the exact opposite. All the Union cares about is itself and it doesn’t care about the longevity of the university or what would actually be best for current and future students.
Nate Kruger • Oct 10, 2025 at 5:23 pm CDT
Vandy students and workers despise the Trump loyalty oath!
Sarah F • Oct 10, 2025 at 2:09 pm CDT
Off-campus alumni are so appreciative of this work!! Go Dores!!