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U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern held a special town hall in the Campus Center auditorium on Wednesday, April 16 to share information with the UMass Amherst community about actions happening on the federal level and to answer questions. McGovern said the purpose of the town hall was, first and foremost, to hear student concerns.

Chancellor Javier Reyes introduced McGovern, whose opening remarks to the audience of about 300 touched on the federal actions taking place that are posing many challenges to students and faculty. These include the revocation of international student visas at UMass Amherst, and other Massachusetts institutions, deportations of immigrants without due process or charges, and the freezing of federal grants for critical research taking place at UMass and other universities across the country.

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McGovern acknowledged the uphill battle his Democratic party is facing to even have a voice at the table, with Republicans in charge of Congress, the Senate, and the White House. He urged those in attendance to come together with others across the country to make their voices heard and be persistent.

“If you think your voice is too small to be heard, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito,” he said.