O n first appraisal, the nine universities that the Trump administration singled out appeared to have no real choice but to concede to the administration’s demands . As set forth in the so-called Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, these include an oath to abide by the White House’s biological theories of gender and to show respect for “conservative” (but not liberal or centrist) values. Framed as a question of who is first in line for federal funding, the compact warns that