Dartmouth, you are alone—and not in a good way.

Of the eight Ivy League institutions, you are the only one refusing to sign the letter condemning the Trump administration’s threats to slash federal research funding in an attempt to punish schools for how they handle student protests. Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, and Penn have all spoken out. You chose silence.

This is not just a missed opportunity, it’s a betrayal.

You say that signing the letter “wouldn’t be effective.” But what’s truly ineffective is letting fear dictate your principles. What message does this send to your students, faculty, and the global academic community? That you can be pushed around? That you’ll prioritize political convenience over your duty to protect academic freedom and student voices?

This silence doesn’t protect your mission. It weakens it.

Your students deserve to know that Dartmouth has their backs when it matters most. That you will not let coercive funding threats rewrite what higher education stands for in this country. Right now, your refusal to take a stand tells the world that Dartmouth will cave when it counts.

We urge you: sign the letter. Join your peers. Show the courage that leadership demands.

History is watching.

Photo: Alison A. Redlich / for USA Today via Imagn file