PHILADELPHIA, PA – October 3, 2025 – Sen. Sharif Street (D-Phila.) has issued the following statement responding to news reports that the Trump administration is pressuring the University of Pennsylvania to compromise the university’s academic integrity:
As a proud Penn alumnus, I’m calling on my alma mater to stand up to Donald Trump’s outrageous attacks on academic freedom by refusing to sign the Trump “compact.” Penn has long been a bastion of campus free speech and must now live up to that history by defending the principles of open academic inquiry and free debate that have been the hallmark of this world-class institution.
At a time when institutions across our nation are crumbling in the face of Trump’s assault on our democratic principles, it’s incumbent on universities like Penn to stand up for their values and to protect their faculty members and students from draconian federal overreach.
I stand with the faculty members and students fighting back against these illegal attacks on Penn’s academic freedom, and I urge Penn’s senior leaders to stand up against this absurd federal overreach and recommit themselves to our nation’s fundamental values.
###