Over 100 faculty members, teaching assistants and activists rallied Thursday on Library Mall to oppose the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education, demanding the University of Wisconsin-Madison provide support for international students facing visa terminations and join other Big Ten universities to pool money for a shared defense fund.
The rally, hosted by the American Federation of Teachers and the Teaching Assistant Association, UW-Madison’s graduate student union, issued a list of demands from the university to fight “Trump’s intimidation, censorship and austerity.”
Higher education has been under attack amid budget cuts and student visa terminations, causing uncertainty throughout campus. The Trump administration has cut $12.6 million in research funding from UW-Madison and terminated at least 27 visas including student visas and alumni visa employment extensions.
Speakers reiterated calls for a “meet and confer” relationship — regular conversations between unions and their chancellors on working conditions and labor issues that faculty unions have pushed for months — though they underlined this was more important as threats to higher education intensified.
Faculty also called on UW-Madison to join the Big Ten Defense Compact, which shares resources and support among the 18 Big Ten universities to combat Trump’s actions.
“We want them to continue to fund our universities,” Erin Dennis, a rally attendee, told The Daily Cardinal. “We don't want them to shut any of the universities down. We don't want them to come in and oversee departments. It's horrendous that they're coming in and deporting people that are just trying to get an education and who are here legally.”
Additionally, speakers asked for transparency from officials and administrators, non-cooperation between campus police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and a commitment to intellectual ownership of all research and teaching materials among other demands.
Speakers, including politicians and educators, emphasized the importance of funding higher education and protecting academic freedom.
“We need to be multiracial, multigenerational, multiethnic, regardless of documentation status. Everyone deserves access to a high quality public education,” said Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison. “We need to hold the administration accountable. We need to make sure that their actions are transparent, that they are communicating to us exactly what they are doing to stand up for every single one of us.”
Faculty also voiced concerns about censorship from the Trump administration, with some calling the revoking of student visas political.
“Free speech should be one of the fundamental bastions of American democracy, and we can see clearly that it’s under grave threat right now,” Lucas Graves, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, told the Cardinal.
Graves said he was disturbed by recent visa terminations at the university and across the country, believing some to be politically motivated. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of solidarity at a “critical moment” for protecting academic freedom.
UW-Madison Dean of Students Christina Olstad said she attended the rally to support students expressing their first amendment rights.
“I’m proud to be here as a member of the protest,” Olstad told the Cardinal.
In a op-ed to the Wisconsin State Journal Thursday, UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said “revoking visas on such flimsy grounds or on no clear grounds at all seems arbitrary and unjust” and underlined the crucial role international students and faculty play in the UW-Madison community.
Aireale J. Rodgers, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, also highlighted the importance of solidarity in higher education.
“I hope to send the message that professors care about and love our students, that we care about and love our communities,” Rodgers told the Cardinal.
Reporting contributed by Wanwa Omot.
Zoey Elwood is copy chief for The Daily Cardinal. She also covers state news.
Clara Strecker is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as copy chief. Clara has written in-depth on the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, abortion rights and protests. She will spend the summer interning with WisPolitics. Follow her on X at @clara_strecker.
