We speak to one voice versus the extraordinary federal government overreach and political disturbance now threatening American college … We need to decline the coercive usage of public research study financing …

American organizations of greater knowing share the important liberty to identify, on scholastic premises, whom to confess and what is taught, how, and by whom … In their pursuit of fact, professors, trainees, and personnel are complimentary to exchange concepts and viewpoints throughout a complete variety of perspectives without worry of retribution, censorship, or deportation.

This is great, as far as it goes. What are all these organizations going to do about the financing cuts, tries to withdraw their not-for-profit status, risks not to employ their graduates, and trainee speech-based deportations? They are going to ask the Trump administration for “constructive engagement that improves our institutions and serves our republic.”

This sounds beautiful, if ignorant, and I hope it exercises well for each among them as they look for good-faith discussion with a vice president who has actually called universities the “enemy” and an administration that required Harvard send to the vetting of every department for undefined “viewpoint diversity.”

As an initial step to discovering commonalities and talking with a typical voice, the declaration is a start. Declarations, like all words, can be inexpensive. We’ll see what actions schools in fact take– and just how much they can speak and act in show– as Trump’s pressure project continues to ratchet.