It is unsurprising that “wokeness” and “left-wing indoctrination” are the targets of the Trump administration’s attack on higher education given the president’s recent string of conservative educational policies. Not only has he abolished diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and banned the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports, Trump is now leveraging federal funding to induce the complicity of American universities further.

Wellesley was among the 60 institutions warned by the US Department of Education of potential enforcement actions, including federal funding cuts if they were found failing to protect Jewish students. Instead of specifically addressing antisemitism on campuses, however, the federal government’s politicized use of Title IV presents a coercive ultimatum that grants the administration unprecedented control over higher education.

To combat the overreach, many of the Big Ten schools, the most prominent Division 1 conference housing the country’s largest institutions, have teamed up and signed a NATO-like pact of mutual defense. If the Trump administration were to attack any of the member universities and deny federal support, the others would pool their funds and resources to ensure their academic programs live on.

This unified approach to resisting federal overreach not only safeguards academic freedom but also sends a powerful message of institutional solidarity. In light of Trump’s war on progressive education, Wellesley’s place among the schools being investigated, its liberal arts mission, and historically women’s status make it especially vulnerable to federal attack. 

Now more than ever, Wellesley should align itself with peer institutions in both word and action—defending the integrity of its academic values and the rights of its students against politically motivated interference.

To start with, Wellesley and the Seven Sisters consortium—including Smith, Mount Holyoke, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, and formerly Vassar—could follow in the footsteps of the Big Ten schools. An alliance among historically women’s colleges would help all members  since it could take into account the nuances of being a historically women’s college under the Trump administration, which poses prominent legal challenges that other institutions may not contend with.

Historically women’s colleges are protected in large part due to their private status, which exempts them from the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. As a result, they can maintain gendered admission policies without facing legal challenges. The Trump administration has not yet issued a direct threat to women’s colleges as a category, but its Title IX rollbacks, redefinitions of “sex,” and support for exempting religious institutions from anti-discrimination policies have created a more legally uncertain environment—particularly for schools that are inclusive of trans and non-binary students. This shifting legal landscape underscores the urgency for historically women’s colleges to defend their educational mission in the face of potential erosion.

Beyond the safety it would offer its members, a Seven Sisters pact would send shockwaves through the landscape of higher education. It would continue to redefine what institutional resistance looks like—not as isolated press releases, but as an organized, value-driven front. At a time when many colleges are backing away from their commitments to equity and inclusion under political pressure, the Seven Sisters have the opportunity to set a national precedent: the defense of academic freedom, marginalized students, and inclusive education is not only possible, but essential.

More broadly, this alliance could reestablish the role of liberal arts colleges as moral leaders in higher education. In resisting not just for themselves but for the principle of education uncoerced by political agendas, the Seven Sisters could galvanize other less populated institutions—especially those that feel powerless or peripheral—to act in concert. A united front  among these historically women’s colleges could be a tipping point, proving that meaningful resistance to state interference is not the purview of the Ivy League alone.

Wellesley has the history, the credibility, and the responsibility to take the lead. By championing a Seven Sisters compact, it can model what bold, coordinated defiance looks like in a time when so many are shrinking from the fight. Higher education—and democracy itself—depends on institutions willing to speak truth to power, even when the cost is high. Now is the time for Wellesley to stand among these leaders—championing collective resistance, affirming its values, and demonstrating that the defense of higher education and democracy requires courage, conviction, and action.