The Trump administration has suspended more than $2.2 billion in contracts and grants to Harvard University on the grounds that the institution had refused to meet demands to curb campus activism. In a letter to Harvard, the administration demanded sweeping reforms, including the implementation of merit-based admissions and hiring practices and an audit of the university's attitudes toward diversity among students, faculty, and staff.
Major Demands:
Merit-Based Admissions: Enact policies that prioritize merit in admissions and hiring processes
Leadership Reforms: Enact wide-ranging governance reforms for ensuring federal compliance
Diversity Audit: Perform an audit to evaluate opinions on diversity among students, faculty, and staff
Ban on Face Masks: Ban the wearing of face masks, apparently directed at pro-Palestinian demonstrators
Restrictions on Student Groups: Stop recognitions or funding of student groups endorsing criminal behavior, violence, or harassment
Harvard President Alan Garber replied, asserting that the conditions violate the university's First Amendment rights and go beyond the government's power under Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin, color, or race. Garber asserted that no government should have the authority to tell private universities what to teach, whom to admit and hire, and which fields of study to pursue.
Defending Academic Freedom: Maintaining the values and integrity of higher education
Refusal to Obey: Refusing to comply with demands that are unlawful and dangerous to academic freedom
Community Support: Alumni and faculty support for Harvard's stance, referencing fears of authoritarianism
The freeze is one of a wider campaign by the Trump administration to bully major academic institutions into making it do its bidding. The University of Pennsylvania, Brown, and Princeton have also been subjected to funding halts. Harvard alumni have welcomed the move, suggesting it has reminded the world that "learning, innovation, and transformative growth will not yield to bullying and authoritarian whims."
Reactions:
American Association of University Professors: Sued to challenge the reductions, contending that the administration did not adhere to required procedures under Title VI
Harvard Community: Demonstrated against the cuts in support of the university position
Alumni Support: Alumni have supported Harvard's move, which laid great emphasis on the protection of academic freedom and university autonomy ¹