On Friday, May 2, the University of Mississippi Environmental Coalition organized a study-in protest on campus, in coordination with the Campus Climate Network’s This Is A Test national day of action.

In the past few weeks, the Trump administration has issued threats of funding cuts to universities around the country, targeting a vast array of university programming, research, admissions policies, protest rules, and more.

In parallel, ICE has threatened international students holding visas or even permanent residence status with deportation. These attempts at suppression put freedom of speech on campus– a bastion of democracy and a constitutional right– at risk. Different universities have responded to these threats with various levels of cooperation, but today students demand that higher ed stands up for students’ rights.

In addition to the federal threats, the University of Mississippi is also facing state-level intervention.

The Mississippi Legislature recently passed a new law banning state schools from funding any program deemed to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, which has already resulted in the University cutting its financial and institutional support for Oxford Pride Week programming, even though the law does not take effect until next month.

“At this moment, universities across the country face authoritarian attacks from the Trump administration against freedom of personal and academic expression, and ours faces additional attacks from our state legislature,” said Hailey Smith, president of the UM Environmental Coalition. “Our university and student leaders currently face a test of our priorities: either we comply with the Trump administration and the state government, or we stand strong with our fellow students and faculty and affirm our dedication to inclusion, free speech, and the advancement of knowledge.”

The Environmental Coalition responded to that test accordingly. By holding space on campus and studying in solidarity with one another, the group demonstrated the value of academic pursuit as a key to strengthening this community. ECO members gathered on the historic University Circle– the core of the academic campus and the site of the integration riots of 1962– which serves as a reminder of the complex story of the university’s ongoing efforts to become a more inclusive place of learning.

“While student organizers at the University of Mississippi are dedicated to championing the values of democracy, freedom of expression, and inclusion, our administrators remain silent in the face of this test,” said William Gregory, student organizer.