Who we are

The United Students of America coalition was formed by a group of students determined to unite our campuses against undue political influence and administrative overreach. Our steering committee is composed of eight American students: we are elected student leaders, veterans, and organizers. And throughout, we’ve been in constant consultation with Israeli and Arab students.

On March 21st, then-interim President Armstrong and Columbia’s Board of Trustees became the first to surrender to Trump’s demands. In exchange, they were offered the chance to reopen funding negotiations – a bargain which will be remembered as a moral failure in Columbia’s history. By capitulating, Columbia has jeopardized academic freedom and free speech on this campus and paved the way for other universities to be targeted in the same way.

We acknowledge that over the past few years, some student actions have been divisive and unproductive. Our coalition envisions a different path forward and will commit to actions that do not unnecessarily interfere with the process of learning or make students feel unsafe or intimidated. Moreover, our coalition unhesitatingly condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians and noncombatants by Hamas, just as we unhesitatingly condemn the immense degree of death and suffering inflicted upon Gaza by the Netanyahu Administration. 

Our student body doesn’t agree on everything, and this coalition does not propose to have all the answers, but we are committed to creating healthy spaces for productive discourse in our community. That work has already begun. In creating our founding charter, we brought together representatives of groups with opposing perspectives on significant geopolitical issues, and forged consensus on a common set of values worth defending.

The attacks on our values are only just beginning, but we draw strength from a simple truth: when we stand together, we have power. The United Students of America coalition was born to meet this moment, but we cannot do it alone. So, we say to every student waiting in fear, in frustration, in silence - join us. If you believe in free speech, in safety for all our students, in universities that stand for truth and justice - then stand with us. Organize with us. Speak out with us. Show up for one another. 

Though we welcome all to join us, it is of the utmost importance for American students to lead in this moment: both for the protection of their international peers and the preservation of their Union. That is why we founded this coalition.