Hope Walz, daughter of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, announced on social media that she turned down an offer from an unnamed graduate school due to concerns about the institution’s stance on student protests. In a TikTok post on Sunday, she criticized the school for failing to support students’ right to protest and speak out for their communities.
“I applied to one school, I kind of had my heart set on it,” Walz said. “But given recent events, I am not going to give my money, go into debt for, support institutions that don’t support their students and the right to protest.”
She added that her decision was not based on personal safety, noting, “I’m a privileged white woman. But I’m not going to put myself in the position where I’m giving money or supporting institutions that don’t support their students.”
Her remarks follow ongoing scrutiny of elite universities for their handling of antisemitic incidents on campus. The Trump administration has moved to crack down on schools that failed to properly respond to reports of antisemitism, threatening to withhold federal funding from institutions like Columbia and Princeton. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have disrupted college campuses nationwide, with some protests turning violent and reports of assaults on Jewish students.
One of the more recent incidents involved protesters occupying Barnard College’s library in New York City, reflecting a growing wave of activism that has prompted debate over campus free speech and safety.
Hope Walz’s public comments have sparked backlash online. Critics accused her of being “performative,” with one social media user claiming she was “setting feminism back 50 years” by walking away from an educational opportunity. Others mocked her privilege, pointing out that rejecting graduate school is not an option many can afford.
