Carnegie Mellon University’s president on Monday lifted the temporary prohibition on painting its iconic campus fence and acknowledged that last week’s visit to campus by President Donald Trump “angered and hurt” members of the school community.
University President Farnam Jahanian shut down The Fence last Thursday in response to messages painted by CMU College Democrats referring to Trump being found liable in a civil trial of sexual abuse and defamation in 2023.
The messages said “Shame on you” and “No Rapists on Our Campus.”
In a letter issued Monday to the campus community, Jahanian announced that after meeting with members of the faculty senate, the staff council, the Alumni Association Board and the Board of Trustees, The Fence — considered a sacred space of student expression — is open for messages once again.
“We all agreed that the use of The Fence has impacts and implications beyond an individual or group’s right to speak their mind, especially when you consider engagement at The Fence over the past few years,” Jahanian’s letter said.
“Sexual violence causes profound harm, and I regret that my previous message did not unequivocally acknowledge the pain of sexual assault,” the letter said. “I also fully acknowledge that the presence of President Trump on our campus has angered and hurt many in our community.”
Jahanian also acknowledged the need to discuss how to engage with the Trump administration, whose policies and severe funding cuts have rocked institutions of higher education across the country.
“How we engage with the federal government — especially on policies and positions that…undermine our mission or are at odds with our values — is a legitimate and complex conversation, and we should continue to have that dialogue,” according to the letter.
Trump was on campus last Tuesday to attend the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, organized by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, D-Pittsburgh, which brought together hundreds of leaders in the tech, energy and AI sectors as well as members of Trump’s cabinet.
College Democrats painted the inflammatory messages the night before the visit. The school painted them over once and then again after the students restored the messages.
“This most recent instance crossed a line — not because of its viewpoint, but because of its personal, unaccountable nature, which undermined the spirit of civil discourse that had led up to it,” Jahanian said last week.
Jahanian temporarily closed The Fence on Thursday to discuss possible rule and regulation changes going forward.
On Monday, he said it was reopening with “no new rules or changes to the tradition to convey. I only ask for our community members to consider the impact of their words on others, and the collateral damage of dialogue that takes place through slogans.”
Anthony Cacciato, president of the CMU College Republicans, said he feels “cautiously optimistic,” after reading Jahanian’s latest letter.
Student groups from across the political spectrum blasted Jahanian for closing down The Fence.
Cacciato said he was relieved the university decided to uphold the previous rules and regulations governing use of The Fence as a medium of free speech on campus. He added he hopes CMU will hold town halls when discussing issues of free speech on campus.
The CMU College Democrats could not be reached immediately for comment.
Jahanian said he plans to consult over the summer with representatives from campus groups, such as student government, to determine what engagement with The Fence will look like for the upcoming fall semester.