Brown University has rejected a proposal by the Trump administration to adjust its education policies in exchange for easier access to federal education funds.
In a letter on Wednesday, Brown's President Christina H. Paxson said Brown would not join the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education because it would place unacceptable limits on the school's academic freedom and autonomy.
"I am concerned that the Compact by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance, critically compromising our ability to fulfill our mission," Paxson said in the letter.
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The compact proposed by the White House asks nine universities, including Brown, to follow education priorities set by President Donald Trump as his administration investigates what it calls civil rights violations at campuses across the country. In exchange, the schools would enjoy easier access to federal education funding.
Schools would have to adhere to definitions of gender set by the government in the context of campus bathrooms and women's sports. Colleges would also refrain from weighing race, gender and other demographics as admissions criteria.
Earlier in October, MIT became the first school to reject the proposal.
