Santa Monica College signs call for “constructive engagement,” joining hundreds of schools nationwide

Dr. Tom Peters, a Board Trustee of Santa Monica College (SMC), speaks at the SMC Board of Trustees meeting at SMC in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Dr. Tom Peters has served on the Board since 2022. (Jake Crandall | The Corsair)

On the night of May 6, 2025, the Board of Trustees at Santa Monica College (SMC) voted to sign on to a letter authored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). The letter, titled “A Call for Constructive Engagement,” is a response to “the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education.” 

The recommendation to sign on to this letter was submitted by SMC’s Superintendent and President, Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery, and was passed by the Board unanimously.  

“This is the best recommendation we’ve ever had,” said trustee Tom Peters.

The letter, originally released on April 22, 2025, is a defense of the academic freedoms that have historically been afforded to higher education institutions, and opposes undue government intrusion within college and universities. 

“American institutions of higher learning have in common the essential freedom to determine, on academic grounds, whom to admit and what is taught, how, and by whom,” the letter states.

The letter also emphasizes the importance of a learning environment where the open discussion of ideas by its students is protected. 

“Our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation,” the letter states.

This statement comes after the repeated threats and attacks levied on American universities and colleges by the Trump administration. One such action taken since President Donald Trump’s inauguration was the letters sent out by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights to 60 colleges and universities across the nation, “pertaining to investigations that have been launched over alleged antisemitic behavior on their campuses.” 

As covered by the Corsair, Santa Monica College (SMC) was included in the list of warning recipients, alongside national and state educational institutions like the University of Southern California, University of California at San Diego and University of California at Santa Barbara. 

The Call for Constructive Engagement also comes at the heels of other actions taken by colleges and universities in response to the Trump administration. On March 28, 2025, the Rutgers University Senate passed a resolution calling for universities in the Big Ten academic alliance to join together in a “mutual defense compact.” 

According to the Senate, the resolution aimed to establish a monetary fund for universities, in the case that they must defend themselves against legal action from the federal government. The resolution states, “Be it further resolved that, under this compact, all participating institutions shall commit meaningful funding to a shared or distributed defense fund. This fund shall be used to provide immediate and strategic support to any member institution under direct political or legal infringement.”

At the time of publication, the “Call for Constructive Engagement” has 657 signatures, including the Community College League of California, as well as presidents and chancellors of several California State Universities and University of California institutions. The AAC&U is still open to adding more signatures to the letter from current leaders of colleges, universities and scholarly societies.