Timothy Burge provides insight on topics brought up during the discussion.
A lot is happening in Washington, D.C., right now. Whether it’s tariffs being enacted, the arrest of student protestors, the Department of Government Efficacy (DOGE) cutting government agencies or the arrest of judges, a lot of people have questions about what is happening in Washington.
On Tuesday, April 22, a group of students and faculty met in the East/West Dining Room to discuss that very question in the second edition of “What Is Happening in Washington?” aptly titled “What Is (still) Happening in Washington?”
“Sometime in February, I emailed a couple of people and said there seems to be a lot going on right now, and it seems like it might be useful to open an event up to the community and just say what your questions are and how can we help,” Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Policies and Values program Timothy Hill said.
Hill and Assistant Professor of Communication Amanda Irions held an event in March that allowed students and staff the opportunity to voice their opinions, questions and concerns about what is happening in national politics. After its initial success, they hope to continue this event throughout subsequent semesters.
Despite the desserts and the willingness to learn and be engaged, the event had a somber and quiet tone. Many people in the audience had a sense of anxiety and fear, as they were questioning whether or not they should be in crisis mode. Much of the discourse of this month’s panel focused on the Trump administration’s executive orders, tariffs, the role the courts have as a check-and-balance system and deportation efforts.
Junior Celeste Galvan takes notes during the discussion.
During the event, Director of International Programs Timothy Burge spoke about how abnormal it was that the administration was pulling students’ visas, often for political protests against the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Burge spoke about how students often don’t know that they had their visas pulled until U.S. immigration officials confront them and he revealed that some international students at Doane had their visas terminated without warning. In the event they were confronted by U.S. immigration officials, they could be deported without even knowing why their visas were pulled.
“The notion that the administration can deport without due process has implications for all of us,” Hill said. “If we say the administration can simply decide you’re not a citizen or that you aren’t allowed the same rights as a citizen, then there’s no chance for you to contest that. All of this stuff makes a difference in our lives for our students and community.”
Hill said it’s in the administration’s interest to move extremely fast and break things, or as the Trump administration has coined it, “Flood the zone.” This has prevented people from being informed politically, as things appear to move at a million miles a minute. This information paralysis prevents people from policing politics and subsequently allows strong-armed governments to get away with policies and actions that are detrimental to everyone.
“Life in authoritarian countries mostly looks like life in democratic ones. People go to work, play league soccer and take their kid to ball practice and do the things that people do most of the time. But there are certain things that you’re not allowed to talk about,” Hill said. “And for those who believe us that it matters, it is important to inform Americans that these things can happen here, too. If we want to care about our democracy, we need to care about what our leaders are doing.”
Hill, Irions and Director of Residential Life and Education Brian Stutz, who helped sponsor the second “What’s Happening in Washington?” event, want to continue this event because to them, now more than ever, Doane needs the space for people to question what is happening politically and not avoid politics until it’s right in their face. The event will continue next semester, as Hill foresees both students and staff having more questions and needing more answers about Washington and the current administration after summer break.
