Well, it appears we have reached a scary point in U.S. politics: education, as of January, is under attack.
A scary debacle that has only unraveled further over the course of a few months occured between President Donald Trump and his administration when they threatened Harvard University with defunding them under reports of antisemitism. Since then, this threat has spread to various other universities.
As a result, Americans are witnessing the unionization of the college sports version of NATO: the Big Ten’s Mutual Defense Compact agreement. While it is a big feat in college sports, this also means so much more to anyone concerned about the current state of the U.S.
It is time to truly start looking out for one another in any way possible. The Mutual Defense Compact resolution truly shows the urgency to stand together as one.
The Big Ten is a conference involved with collegiate NCAA Division I sports. Established in 1896, it originally started with ten schools, but it now has eighteen members spread all over the nation. Notable schools include Northwestern University, Ohio State University, University of Michigan, Indiana University, Purdue University and others.
The Mutual Defense Compact is a resolution amongst these schools in order to fight back against the Trump Administration’s attacks on education. The way the agreement works is if the administration tries to threaten one of them, all the schools will stand behind them and fight back together. This includes sharing legal attorneys and financial resources, according to Axios. While not all schools have approved the resolution, and nothing can be quite official yet, there is a big push to have all the universities join it.
Now that all the bases are covered, someone may be asking why this is important. they might say that the Big Ten schools are all just sports, sports, academics and more sports and that it cannot be that significant.
Well, it is. It is very significant, because how can a president and his administration keep making questionable decisions to the point that Purdue and IU decide to band together? How questionable are they that OSU and UMich are circling around the resolution, too? These pairs of schools are known rivals, and to team up is almost something of a miracle.
While this may just look like an extravagant comeback to the recent attacks on various schools by the Trump administration, although in some ways it is, it is nothing short of a union.
Sure, the Big Ten are not known politically, but this pact is showing the urgency to unite.
Earning a degree is not easy, and it doesn’t happen to everyone. It is so important to today’s world, and it’s being threatened right in front of our eyes. It hasn’t been a full year of having Trump as president, and there are many schools that are under investigation, also due to accusations of antisemitism, with the possibility of getting their funding taken away. There are numerous odd decisions and behaviors from the current people that are supposed to be protecting the nation and that are supposed to be moving us forward.
Yet, why does it feel like we are going backwards? There are people who fear for their lives. So, why is the government attacking the places where it may be the only place they feel safe, such as schools? There are so many problems, so why focus on the one place where learning is prioritized?
The Big Ten schools outrightly speaking out shows the unity that is needed within Americans at a time like this. Yes, the Big Ten is a lot of sports. Yes, it is very funny that OSU and UMich have taken one side together for once. No, it is not funny that the threats toward education are what kickstarted the resolution, and no, it is not funny that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
This is not a time to fall short on information. This is a time to stay educated and informed. This is a time to keep fighting and speak out not as one, but together. There are various issues within the nation, but knowing that no one is alone is the first step in a call to action.
