When President Trump froze federal grants to the University, Patrick Ho ’08 took action.
Ho has organized a fund to begin to replace the $210 million in federal research grants suspended by the Trump administration on April 1. These cuts were part of ongoing investigations of antisemitism on campus, according to the White House.
Through a Google Form, Ho has asked each of Princeton’s nearly 100,000 alumni to commit to donating $2,100 each — an amount that would collectively match the suspended $210 million in grants — during the Annual Giving campaign, with options to donate less or more.
As of April 28, 43 alumni, spanning members from the Classes of 1952 to 2020, had pledged nearly $34,000 in donations.
Ho’s statement describes President Trump’s recent suspensions as a “threat…to freedom of speech and academic freedom at Princeton and on campuses everywhere,” linking statements from University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 and constitutional scholars regarding national funding cuts carried out by the Trump administration in recent months.
According to the form’s description, the goals of the fund are to “support the university’s efforts to resist unlawful intimidation,” “alleviate the impact on students and researchers,” and “send a message that Princetonians remain committed to the values underpinning our great American universities and encourage alumni of other schools to do the same.”
“This is an initiative put together to find a way to express our support for the University and President Eisgruber,” Ho said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian.
What started as an effort among Ho’s friends to support the University is now circulating more widely among the alumni network. The petition has spread by “word of mouth” and through TigerNet. Ho is actively seeking more alumni to demonstrate their support.
Andris Zvargulis ’08 committed to donating to Ho’s fund. “I'm deeply appreciative that he took that first step and took action. He’s being a leader,” he told the ‘Prince.’
Ben Gawiser ’98 said in an interview with the ‘Prince’ that he was “very grateful” to see Ho’s request in his email. He noted a general lack of public support for the University among alumni after the funding cuts.
“Aside from that, I’ve seen very little engagement from alumni,” Gawiser said. “And it could be that I’m isolated, but I haven’t seen much engagement in social media or other places.”
Zvargulis expressed a similar sentiment. “The thing that I’m really surprised by is that I haven’t seen that much public outcry from our alumni community,” he said. “I’m frankly pretty disappointed by that.”
At the time of the petition’s creation, President Eisgruber had condemned funding cuts at other universities, primarily Columbia. Recently, more universities have stood against the Trump administration, particularly through Harvard’s lawsuit.
Gawiser noted that he thought the funding cuts were “disingenuous” and supported Eisgruber’s response to federal cuts in The Atlantic. Eisgruber has been particularly vocal among university presidents against the funding cuts.
Reuben Swartz ’97 also expressed satisfaction with Eisgruber’s stance and called his office directly to convey support. He specifically mentioned the open letter signed by more than 550 university presidents nationwide, including Eisgruber, condemning recent attacks on higher education by the Trump administration.
“As alum[ni], we have a responsibility to point out when things are happening that are egregious and wrong — that are not in the nation’s service,” Swartz said.
Ho noted that many alumni he spoke with were alarmed by the situation and “expressed their concern at seeing what was going on.”
Ho encourages both vocal and monetary support for the cause.
“There are many ways for Princetonians to support the University. Contributing their voices and — as they are able — their dollars to the [fund] sends a message of solidarity and appreciation, specifically for what Princeton is doing in defense of academic freedom,” Ho said.
Clara Docherty is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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