Several Northeastern Student Government Association, or SGA, members signed a letter May 2 urging government officials, university administrators and policymakers to fight against the Trump administration’s “attacks on higher education that affect every student we represent.”
The letter, titled “National Letter from Elected Student Leaders Defending Higher Education,” collected signatures from student leaders at universities nationwide, including at several high-profile institutions like Duke University, Brown University and Northwestern University. The letter had 151 signatures as of May 12.
Julian Herzing-Burkard, a rising fourth-year international business major and the incoming student body president, confirmed with The Huntington News that he has added his signature since the letter was last updated May 12. Olivia Oestreicher, a political science and communications alumna who served as the vice president for external affairs for SGA in the 2024-2025 Executive Cabinet, and Benedikt Winkler, a rising third-year computer science major who serves as SGA’s director of information management, were also among the signatories.
“Make no mistake: We oppose government overreach that threatens the basic rights of students to learn, speak, and belong without fear of political retaliation,” the letter reads. “We unite to defend our shared belief that education should and must be grounded in truth, critical thinking, and the ability to engage with ideas — even when we disagree with them.”
Oestreicher and Winkler told The News that their decision to sign reflects their personal stances, not the opinion of SGA as a whole.
“Although the letter is structured as a message from individual student leaders, not organizations, SGA remains committed to its mission to promote student interests within the University, especially in light of the growing challenges facing higher education,” Oestreicher wrote in a statement to The News.
The letter was authored by Adolfo Alvarez, a third-year global studies and media journalism double major at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, or UNC Chapel Hill, where he serves as the student body president.
“I thought there was something powerful about people in power standing up for what’s right,” Alvarez said in an interview with The News. “In times like this, when higher education is caught up in a political crossfire, it’s more important than ever that we show that we’re willing to speak up, that we’re not afraid.”
Alvarez directly contacted Oestreicher, who “quickly” signed the document and forwarded it to the rest of SGA, she said.
“I really resonated with what was in the statement,” Oestreicher said. “You have to be able to state your opinion if you’re finding something problematic.”
Under the Trump administration, higher education has faced a series of attacks, including proposed cuts to federal student aid, reduced funding for research and visa revocations. The Trump administration has also accused universities of political bias, further straining the relationship between the federal government and academic institutions.
“It is scary. One of the reasons I felt comfortable signing onto this is because I’m a student who holds a lot of privilege, not only with the power that we hold in SGA, but I’m not an international student,” Oestreicher said. “I don’t feel the same level of threat as a lot of students on this campus, and I totally recognize that.”
SGA recently passed legislation reaffirming its commitment to supporting “institutional accountability” and marginalized students, saying the organization “formally recognizes the importance of student activism and commits to supporting and protecting student-led initiatives that foster free expression and social change.” The legislation, which holds no binding authority over university policy, also calls on Northeastern to cease disciplining students exercising their First Amendment rights. Specifically, it asks Northeastern to amend its “Failure to Produce Northeastern Student Identification” policy found in the Student Code of Conduct, which requires students to unmask for identification purposes at the request of any university or authorized personnel.
“Although we each need to work on our own universities’ response, we actually really need to band together and just represent college students in general because this is a broad attack on higher education as a whole,” Oestreicher said. “We need to stick with each other. There is power in numbers.”
Winkler, who was the other Northeastern SGA leader to sign the letter, voiced a similar call for unity.
“To those that can, we really need to stand up,” Winkler said. “This needs to be an intercollegiate effort.”
Alvarez was inspired by a letter originally released April 22 and signed by more than 650 college presidents and university officials, including Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun, that condemned the “undue government intrusion” targeting higher education. Alvarez said UNC Chapel Hill’s university chancellor did not sign the letter, which prompted him to contact the rest of the executive student government council at the university to start their own.
“[UNC Chapel Hill] is trying to keep a low profile in terms of speaking out against the Trump administration because I think they have a fear to be targeted. The student body was frankly disappointed about that,” Alvarez said.
He hopes the message will continue to foster solidarity across college campuses.
“The only fight you lose is the one you don’t actually fight,” Alvarez said.
