In the days and weeks following the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, colleges and universities across the U.S. were quick to respond with various student- and institution-led acts of condemnation. These included student demonstrations, fundraising campaigns for Ukrainians, divesting of Russian companies, and the suspension of joint international programs with Russia. Most efforts were aimed at expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people, including Ukrainian students in the U.S., while denouncing the aggression of the Russian government.
One of the most notable responses came from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which severed its relationship with Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), a private graduate research institution near Moscow. MIT helped establish Skoltech in 2011 and in 2016 further cemented the partnership with the MIT Skoltech Program, which recruited Russian students and faculty and supported joint research, among other endeavors.
While many lauded the institute’s decision, some MIT officials expressed regret that the terminated relationship would negatively affect their Russian colleagues who have no say in the invasion. “We affirm our steadfast belief in our colleagues at Skoltech,” an MIT statement reads. “They are fellow scholars who have devoted themselves to an ethos of openness and who have contributed their own expertise and knowledge to build a unique and pioneering academic center in Russia.”
The conflict has also had an impact on some U.S. study abroad programs, as multiple countries have begun restricting flights arriving from Russia and issuing travel advisories for nations bordering Ukraine. Middlebury College, for example, canceled its international study program with Russia mid-semester and urged students to return immediately, citing safety concerns.
State governors across the country, including those in California, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, and Virginia, called on public university endowment funds, pension systems, and other investment groups to divest holdings in Russian securities. Shortly thereafter, University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) officials announced their plans to disinvest in Russian companies. In total, the university sold off approximately $6 million in holdings made through mutual funds and long-term investment pools. CU Boulder President Todd Saliman also announced that the institution will not fund or conduct any research tied to Russian entities.
“Like so many others, we have watched in horror as this invasion has brought senseless violence and aggression to the region,” Saliman said in a news release. “We are looking for ways to show our support for the people of Ukraine and believe that cutting our investments is the right thing to do.”
At many U.S. campuses, students led demonstrations and protests against the attack on Ukraine. Campus community members at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as well as Harvard, Pennsylvania State, Purdue, and Stanford Universities appeared in droves to show solidarity with Ukraine and demand that their institutions speak out against the Russian government’s actions.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called on the University of California (UC) and other state-funded institutions to sanction the Russian government by halting the investments from their retirement systems into Russian companies. The UC retirement system, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System collectively hold nearly $1.5 billion in investments linked to Russia.
One of the more direct, personalized efforts to support Ukrainians came from Northwood University (NU), a private institution in Michigan. On March 1, NU launched the Freedom through Aspire Fund, a fundraising effort to financially support Ukrainian students studying in the U.S. by covering their education and emergency expenses. Within one week of its creation, the fund received more than $28,000 from 172 donors.
The fund was established in response to a plea from the family of a Ukrainian NU student and tennis player, Iryna Trystan. In a letter to administrators, Trystan’s family, who were still in war-torn Ukraine as of early March, asked the university to support Iryna while she applied for asylum in the U.S. She told a local news station that she is also receiving emotional support from three of her Russian teammates at NU.
“We’re good friends, and I hate to see other people hating Russians for being Russian, because it’s not their fault,” Trystan said in the interview. “It’s not their fault the president of Russia decided to invade Ukraine and do horrible things.”
Most college and university responses have been targeted at the Russian government rather than its citizens and students who study in the U.S. However, a small group of lawmakers, including Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, have called for the expulsion of all Russian students studying at U.S. higher education institutions.
At many U.S. campuses, students led demonstrations and protests against the attack on Ukraine. Campus community members at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) as well as Harvard, Pennsylvania State, Purdue, and Stanford Universities appeared in droves to show solidarity with Ukraine and demand that their institutions speak out against the Russian government’s actions.
“We’re just hoping that students take away how this is personally affecting a lot of us,” Larysa Brandys, vice president of the UIUC Ukrainian Student Association, told Illinois Public Media at a campus demonstration. “Putin needs to be stopped. [At] these rallies, we don’t intend to stop him, but we intend to show support for our country and for Ukrainian people.”●
Erik Cliburn is a senior staff writer for INSIGHT Into Diversity.
This article was published in our April 2022 issue.
