URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Universities are collaborating to pool resources against threats from the federal government, including several public universities in Illinois.

Rutgers University recently called on all Big Ten schools to come together against “political infringement” from the Trump administration that could threaten research funding or other university functions with the Mutual Academic Defense Compact. (The Big Ten Academic Alliance clarified they are neutral from their institutions’ resolution and did not contribute to any resolution.)

“The preservation of one institution’s integrity is the concern of all, and an infringement against one member university of the Big Ten shall be considered an infringement against all,” part of the resolution reads.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, education professor Jon Hale, told WCIA the faculty senate is scheduled to discuss two proposed resolutions related to the MDAC at their meeting Monday.

One of them, the “Resolution to Join a Mutual Academic Defense Compact for the Universities of the Big Ten Academic Alliance in Defense of Academic Freedom, Institutional Integrity, Education, and Research,” is based on the “Rutgers” resolution. The other, “the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate Resolution in Defense of the Core Mission, Values, and Academic Freedom of U.S. Higher Education,” is based on the BTAA resolution, Hale said.

Other universities have joined on signing a separate letter organized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities condemning “the coercive use of public research funding.” These include the presidents for Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University and the Southern Illinois University system.

“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,” part of the letter reads. “However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses.”