Students, faculty and community members gathered on Friday at Alma Mater to hold a Stand Up for Science protest. The demonstration was part of a larger national call for rallies opposing the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding for scientific research and mass firings of federal employees, particularly those in scientific fields.
Funding cuts have impacted colleges and universities nationwide, including here at the University. A few weeks ago, the University’s Soybean Innovation Lab was forced to shut down due to a federal funding freeze.
Peter Goldsmith, director of the SIL and professor in ACES, spoke to the crowd about the recent termination of his lab. The SIL will close by April 15, leaving 30 employees without jobs.
“Our lab served as a unique platform, bringing U of I students, who worked right alongside us, to the frontlines of economic development,” Goldsmith said.
Scott Oswald, one of the present speakers, began his position as a postdoctoral researcher at the University last June. He said his position was abruptly terminated three weeks ago, like many other researchers he knows.
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“Losing my job was a hardship for me, but the true tragedy is the loss of talented scientists and the value of their research,” Oswald said. “Tens of thousands of civil servants have been laid off in the past three weeks.”
Asher Hudson, research scientist at the University, told the crowd he was also fired last month.
“This is only the beginning,” Hudson said. “There are plans to fire hundreds of thousands of federal employees and slash scientific funding going to universities and research institutes for everything from agriculture to cancer research.”
The crowd booed in response as Hudson elaborated on the consequences of terminating jobs like his.
“If you are a student in science, what this means is that your future is going to be taken away,” Hudson said. “For everyone else … what this means is that you are going to lose out on things that haven’t even been invented yet.”
Hudson urged demonstrators to call their representatives and voice their concerns.
“I hope what comes out of today is the energy to keep going,” Hudson said in an interview with The Daily Illini.
Justin Michael Hendrix, local activist and Champaign school board candidate, spoke on the importance of science in Black culture.
“As an advocate, educator and community leader here, I believe science in Black culture is significant … for students, teachers, schools and communities at large, for the quality of life and for the livelihood of Black lives,” Hendrix said.
After speakers finished their remarks, demonstrators began marching east on Green Street before hooking right at the Natural History Building and entering the Main Quad. Chants of “Hey hey, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go” and “This is what democracy looks like” echoed between buildings.
Demonstrators Jean Mengelkoch and Janet Jarvis work for the University at the Illinois Natural History Survey, which investigates and publishes research on natural diversity in the state.
“I’m a biologist,” Mengelkoch said. “I work with threatened and endangered species, and (the funding cuts) had a serious effect on what we’re trying to do and what we hope to do in the future.”
The pair held a sign with photos of several endangered species.
“Endangered species need our protection, and the budget cuts are affecting the people we work with at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” Jarvis said.
The crowd marched down the Main Quad, past the Morrow Plots, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and several other locations near the South Quad. An organizer said the route was designed to pass as many STEM buildings as possible.
The protest held on campus was accompanied by countless others worldwide. Demonstrations affiliated with Stand Up for Science occurred in almost every state in the United States and parts of Canada and Europe.
The march ended at the McFarland Memorial Bell Tower, where demonstrators sang chants, and leaders thanked them for attending.
“Together, our voices will be heard,” Oswald said. “Let us speak out against the harm of the government’s actions; let us speak up for the value of science.”
