The President of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts said that the higher education community should actively resist Trump as he attempts to implement his agenda in 2025.
Mount Holyoke President Danielle Holley made the comments in an interview with New England Public Media, stating that higher education leaders shouldn’t make it easy for Trump.
“To basically comply with things that are not within our values simply because we feel a threat of investigation is something that we should not be doing as the higher education community,” Holley said. “Instead, we need to just say ‘No! Here’s what we stand for. We will continue to stand for this. And if you believe that you can legally challenge our mission or our values, that’s up to you to try to do.”
Holley contended that Trump’s threats against higher education are unconstitutional and would face legal challenges, specifically in regards to his planned action against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
She also said that Mount Holyoke will try to support students from out of state who Trump’s policies might impact, adding the college might offer gender-affirming care to students who can’t access it where they are from.
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“So we have to just kind of buckle in and prepare for four years where we have a federal government that’s hostile to the core mission and values of Mount Holyoke,” Holley said. “As a women’s college, we value the inclusion of women and people who are marginalized on the basis of gender. We have to value things like reproductive rights, etc., because it goes to the heart of the health of our students and their well-being.”
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
