StudentNation

StudentNation is a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism and is made possible through generous funding from the Puffin Foundation. StudentNation focuses on first-person accounts from student activists, organizers, and journalists and has helped launch the careers of contributors to The New York TimesVoxBusiness InsiderTeen Vogue, the Guardian, and more. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected]

Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025.

Trump’s Order Dismantling the Education Department Continues His Attacks on the Agency Trump’s Order Dismantling the Education Department Continues His Attacks on the Agency

The president plans to sign an executive order directing officials to take all “necessary steps” to shut down the department, but a complete closure would require an act of Congre...

Mar 20, 2025 / StudentNation / Owen Dahlkamp

Hundreds of protesters outside of a New York court to protest the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil.

Mahmoud Khalil Is “Ready to Fight” His Unlawful Detention Mahmoud Khalil Is “Ready to Fight” His Unlawful Detention

StudentNation spoke with Shezza Abboushi Dallal, a member of Khalil’s legal defense team, about the status of his case and the government’s attack on freedom of speech.

Mar 18, 2025 / StudentNation / Luca GoldMansour

A protest against US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts to medical research and higher education during a “Fund Don't Freeze” rally outside the Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 19, 2025.

As Trump Closes in on Public Service Jobs, Young Workers Look Elsewhere As Trump Closes in on Public Service Jobs, Young Workers Look Elsewhere

The president’s executive orders have raised concerns among college students and recent graduates, prompting some to reevaluate their career plans.

Mar 17, 2025 / StudentNation / Sena Chang

Donald Trump speaks at a press conference with Linda McMahon in 2019.

Inside Trump’s Decimation of the Department of Education Inside Trump’s Decimation of the Department of Education

Current and former employees at the agency spoke with The Nation about the chaos as 1,300 people were laid off on Tuesday. “The ramifications of this will be enormous.”

Mar 14, 2025 / StudentNation / Owen Dahlkamp

Columbia University Mahmoud Khalil Protest

Mahmoud Khalil’s Detainment Won’t Stop the Pro-Palestine Student Movement Mahmoud Khalil’s Detainment Won’t Stop the Pro-Palestine Student Movement

The reverberations of Khalil’s arrest are being felt beyond Columbia University’s campus.

Mar 12, 2025 / StudentNation / Lara-Nour Walton

A student holds a sign during a pro-DEI protest at the University of Cincinnati's Bearcat Commons on March 4, 2025.

Ohio Republicans Are Planning “Political Warfare” Against Higher Education Ohio Republicans Are Planning “Political Warfare” Against Higher Education

With Senate Bill 1, the state would ban universities from taking a stand on “controversial beliefs”—including climate change, immigration, gay marriage, and abortion.

Mar 11, 2025 / StudentNation / Zurie Pope

Students staging a sit-in at Milstein Library on March 5.

Columbia Expelled Student Protesters For the First Time in Over 50 Years. But Activists Won’t Back Down. Columbia Expelled Student Protesters For the First Time in Over 50 Years. But Activists Won’t Back Down.

On March 5, protesters were arrested after dozens formed a sit-in at Milstein Library to demand the reinstatement of three expelled students.

Mar 7, 2025 / StudentNation / Lara-Nour Walton

CUNY Faculty Are Still Determined to Hire Palestinian Studies Scholars

CUNY Faculty Are Still Determined to Hire Palestinian Studies Scholars CUNY Faculty Are Still Determined to Hire Palestinian Studies Scholars

Faculty at Hunter College submitted a revised job listing after Governor Hochul told the school to remove one that used the terms “settler colonialism,” “genocide,” and “apartheid...

Mar 5, 2025 / StudentNation / Luca GoldMansour

A teenager lying on a couch watching something on their phone.

The “Teenage Dream” in an Era of Isolation The “Teenage Dream” in an Era of Isolation

Curfew restrictions and the policing of public spaces prevent teens from “getting into trouble.” But to some, it feels like it’s preventing them from getting anywhere at all.

Feb 19, 2025 / StudentNation / Aina Marzia

A supporter of the pro-Palestinian encampment at UC Irvine in May 2024.

Will Academia Survive the Criminalization of Dissent? Will Academia Survive the Criminalization of Dissent?

Professors are experiencing an overwhelming sense of fear and disillusionment amid the crackdown of pro-Palestine protests. “I don’t know anybody who’s not scared right now.”

Feb 17, 2025 / StudentNation / Lucy Tobier

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