The Emory Wheel Since 1919
Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper
Volume 106, Issue 7
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Printed every other Wednesday
Postdoctoral community speaks on grant cuts
Faculty Council passes resolution to support international students, academic freedom By Ellie Fivas and Jacob Muscolino
Editor-in-Chief & News Editor
Ginna Nebrig/Staff Illustrator
By Jacob Muscolino and Tori Mooney News Editor & Staff Writer Amid recent federal cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) did not renew Emory University’s Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) program, according to Senior Program Coordinator of FIRST Angela Shennette. The FIRST program unites Atlanta universities in a shared initiative to help postdoctoral researchers develop both research and teaching skills to prepare them for careers in academia. A study from 2017 found that of the 177 FIRST Fellows who had been in the program, about 50% are African American. Shennette called FIRST’s promotion of diversity “promising” for the academic world.
The NIH’s decision to not renew FIRST comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has attempted to eliminate publicly funded programs related to DEI, values which FIRST has emphasized in the past. The program’s five-year contract will end on Aug. 31, according to Shennette. For fellows whose research funding comes exclusively from the FIRST program, Shennette said that day will likely be their last being employed by the initiative. In response to a question about the program’s closure, Assistant Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond referred The Emory Wheel to a page regarding the University’s response to federal directives. On April 2, National Institute of General Medical Sciences Division of Training and Workforce Development Director Kenneth Gibbs Jr. emailed FIRST Director of
Professional Development Lou Ann Brown announcing the program’s termination. FIRST Postdoctoral Fellow Jasmine Hope (15C, 22G) emphasized the impact ending the FIRST program will have on the availability and quality of scientific research. “There’s definitely going to be less people who are doing this very important innovative research,” Hope said. “And then for the people who are going to still be able to do it, there’s going to be less training.” During the program’s history, FIRST has provided postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to conduct scientific research at Emory and other Atlanta institutions through the Atlanta University Center Consortium, like Clark Atlanta University (Ga.), Morehouse College (Ga.), Morehouse School of Medicine (Ga.) and Spelman College (Ga.).
See RESEARCH, Page 4
On the afternoon of April 15, the Faculty Council unanimously approved a resolution defending academic freedom, Emory’s Open Expression Policy and its “principles for all members of our community.” This resolution comes amid national freezes for university federal funding. The Trump administration has threatened to cut funding for public and private universities across the United States. Trump has presented colleges such as Harvard University (Mass.) and Columbia University (N.Y.) with lists of demanded changes to admissions policies, Middle East studies programs, disciplinary measures for students and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices to avoid cuts. Some universities, like Columbia, have conceded to the changes and are implementing new policies, such as banning face coverings at protests. However, Harvard University (Mass.) recently rejected Trump’s demands, resulting in the Trump administration freezing billions of dollars in federal funding for the school, on April 14. The Faculty Council titled the resolution “The Lines We Must Not Cross,” which Emory University Senate President-Elect Noëlle McAfee said was inspired by an op-ed by Professor of Classics Clifford Ando at the University of Chicago’s (Ill.), where he said the institution must stay true to its values, in the face of possible opposition from the federal government. McAfee emphasized that the inspiration for proposing and passing the resolution was standing up for academic freedom.
“The Faculty Council really do represent and stand for the academic mission of the University, and core to that is academic freedom,” McAfee said. “The freedom to teach what we think is important, how we think is important.” Associate Professor of Law and Faculty Council Elected Representative of the Law School Alexander Volokh applauded universities like Harvard that have attempted to resist federal demands and have chosen to stay true to their values. “It’s good when universities put up a unified front because a lot of universities might be concerned that if they’re seen as resisting, they might be targeted more, but if every university acts together, then it’s harder to do that targeting,” Volokh said. Volokh and McAfee both added that University President Gregory Fenves was present at the meeting. When asked about Fenves’ views on the resolution, Assistant Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond wrote in an email to the Wheel that the University is committed to “shared governance” with the Faculty Council and supports its emphasis on academic freedom. “Academic freedom is a foundational principal upon which our teaching, learning, research and scholarship thrive. Emory will not shy away from defending it,” Diamond wrote. Volokh said the attitude of the meeting was generally positive, with little opposition to the resolution. The resolution claimed that demands from the federal government, such as erasing diversity, equity and inclusion programs from higher education institutions, encroach not only on the Emory community’s academic freedom and open expression
See MCAFEE, Page 4
Emory National Lawyers Guild hosts panel on free speech By Aarush Kumar Staff Writer U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive actions targeting pro-Palestine individuals have caused dissent nationally, including at Emory University. Emory School of Law’s National Lawyers Guild (NLG) hosted a “Palestinian Human Rights and the Limits on Freedom of Expression” event featuring immigration attorneys, human rights attorneys and former Emory School of Medicine student Umaymah Mohammad, who Emory suspended for violating “professional conduct” after saying a professor who volunteered in the Israeli Defense Forces “participated in aiding and abetting a genocide.” The panel focused on the work of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia), which protects the civil rights of Muslims through legal action and advocacy, according to CAIR-Georgia Legal Director and panelist Javeria Jamil. During the
event, the panelists also spoke about their concerns for the safety of protesters after recent Trump administration policies. Mohammad emphasized the importance of her support system after her suspension from Emory’s medical school. “When I was suspended in December of last year, … I was introduced to a global network of healthcare workers throughout the world who have also been repressed, who have also been suspended, some fired, some harassed for they’re antigenocide organizing, but who are also fighting alongside me for a liberated world,” Mohammad said. Mohammad responded to a question about safety for student protestors and said that students should be ready to create “safety plans,” especially amid rising Islamaphobia. “The way that I see it is that we are already unsafe, like our everyday lives, we are not safe,” Mohammad said. “Even before, growing up as a Muslim, we have already been afraid
of [the Department of Homeland Security] and the FBI and people coming for our family members for illegitimate reasons.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently forcibly restrained and arrested a Tufts University (Mass.) doctoral student, Rumeysa Ozturk, who was involved in pro-Palestinian activism. The Trump administration has also canceled about 530 visas of students, faculty and researchers across 88 higher institutions. Jamil urged students to learn about their rights, especially when dealing with ICE. She emphasized the need for pro-Palestine students to keep themselves safe in the current political climate. “Folks generally need to brush up on their rights when they interacting with law enforcement,” Jamil said. “Whether that’s in a private space or a public space, what that means for them, what they can and cannot do if something does happen, they need to make sure that they have emergency
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contacts in place who can call for legal help for them and can be their support system if they are abducted or jailed.” Jamil said she would like the Emory administration to publicly condemn the Trump administration’s recent actions. “The Trump administration is coming after any children of color right now, and it is really important for the university to exercise its … power and come out and help you condemn the Trump administration,” Jamil said. After the event, Emory NLG President-Elect Mary Thomas (27L) encouraged her fellow students to be aware of the reality of protesting in 2025. Similar to how Harvard University (Mass.) reacted to the Trump administration’s policies, Thomas advocated for Emory to push back and protect its students. “Students should feel safe and protected by their schools,” Thomas said. “We saw just today, with Harvard not bowing down to the demands of the
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Jack Rutherford/Managing Editor
Council on America-Islamic Relations hosts a press conference last year. Trump administration, really seeing schools stand up on behalf of their students, because at the end of the day, that’s what makes a school a school, is the students.”
— Contact Aarush Kumar at aarush.kumar@emory.edu
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