15
Apr
Apr
HARVARD UNIVERSITY DEFIES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, BILLIONS IN FUNDING FROZEN
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CapitalTimesNews / 1 week
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- 2 min read
The Trump administration has frozen over $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University after the institution refused to comply with demands to limit activism on campus. This move marks the seventh time the administration has targeted an elite college, with six of the seven schools being Ivy League institutions. The demands, which Harvard President Alan Garber rejected, included broad government and leadership reforms, changes to admissions policies, auditing views on diversity, and stopping recognition of certain student clubs. The administration also called for “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies and a ban on face masks on campus, seemingly targeting pro-Palestinian protesters. “The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Garber said in a letter to the Harvard community. “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” The government argued that universities have allowed antisemitism to go unchecked at campus protests, but Garber said Harvard has made extensive reforms to address the issue. He added that the demands are an attempt to regulate “intellectual conditions” at Harvard, violating the university’s First Amendment rights and exceeding government authority. “Harvard stood up today for the integrity, values, and freedoms that serve as the foundation of higher education,” said Anurima Bhargava, a Harvard alumnus who supported the university’s decision. “Harvard reminded the world that learning, innovation and transformative growth will not yield to bullying and authoritarian whims.” The move has sparked protests and a lawsuit from the American Association of University Professors, challenging the cuts. The plaintiffs argue that the Trump administration failed to follow required steps before cutting funds, including giving notice to the university and Congress. Other universities targeted by the Trump administration include Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Princeton, Cornell, and Northwestern. Columbia initially acquiesced to the demands under the threat of billions in cuts. The funding freeze is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to pressure institutions to comply with its agenda.
