Duke’s chief lobbyist Chris Simmons discussed the immigration ban, government grants, public-sector internships and Title IX during a conversation Wednesday about Duke’s relationship with the new Congress and the Trump administration.
Simmons, associate vice president in the office of government relations, said that Duke has not decided whether it will push the Trump administration to maintain the “Dear Colleague” letter issued by the Obama administration on Title IX and sexual assault. He also revealed that North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican, offered to help green card holders at Duke who were affected by the Trump administration’s immigration ban.
A podcast of the full conversation, which also includes perspective from Michael Munger, professor of political science, will be published next week. Here are some highlights from Simmons’ responses to The Chronicle’s questions:
On the immigration ban:
“I would say that this last weekend—this executive order came out on Friday afternoon, so starting Friday night all the way through Monday morning—I spent more time on email on this issue than I have on other issues impacting the University for many years.”
“We as a University do not think that this is a policy that is good for the United States, especially as something that distracts our scholars and our students from doing their work.”
“We have been in contact with the faculty members who are currently out of the country that have green cards that are from the seven countries that are impacted, and we believe that when they are ready to return there will not be an issue.”
“We have also talked to members of Congress—both House of Representatives and Senators—about this issue. They understand our position very clearly.”
“We were with Senator Tillis, and he pointedly asked what he could do to help with the individuals at Duke who are impacted and have green cards.”
“We didn’t get into details on where [Tillis] falls exactly on the broader policy, but he definitely understands the implications of this policy on Duke and on North Carolina. Whether or not he changes his mind or comes out more strongly or less strongly on this issue, I don’t know.”
On government research funding:
“The reduction of funding for the endowments—the endowment for the arts, the endowment for the humanities—this is commonplace in Republican administrations. It’s a part of the Heritage budget playbook to go after the endowments. It’s something that we’ve fought before and preserved. People are lining up, and we’re talking with people on campus to promote the good that federal investment in the arts and the humanities does for us.”
“This is different, though. This is different because we have a Republican Senate, and Republican House and a Republican in the White House, so the fight is going to be much tougher.”
“On the EPA, for them to temporarily halt—which they did for a week—issuing new grants, that actually is not uncommon in scientific agencies and funding agencies in new administrations.”
“The [EPA] funding has resumed. I know for a fact that several payments for research and also for student support at the graduate level came through our cash management systems last week. So I know the money is still flowing.”
On internships:
“Again, it’s not uncommon at the beginning of any administration to kind of slow down hiring or freeze hiring just for a temporary bit.”
“There will be jobs. There will be plenty of internships.”
“If I was somebody that was interested in interning—say an undergraduate at Duke that was interested in interning in Washington D.C.—the safe bet would be to go ahead and turn in your applications even if they say they’re not hiring right now for internships and get in the queue.”
“The administration has made a big deal about wanting to invest more in defense. That seems like a great place to go if you’re looking for an internship right now.”
On Title IX and the Dear Colleague Letter:
“We have long said that we believe there needs to be some clarity on what exactly the government wants from universities because we get different types of requirements through 'Dear Colleague' letters, regulatory guidance. Different things come from the Justice Department, different things from the Department of Education.”
“We just don’t know what the new regime—the new government—is going to ask of universities, and if they can offer some clarification, that would be incredibly helpful.”
“That decision [on whether to advocate for maintaining the 'Dear Colleague' letter] hasn’t been made yet.”
The audio for this story was produced by Shaun King at the Department of Political Science
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