Harvard University is standing up to the Trump administration, as the feds pressure the Cambridge school to end DEI programs and “audit” the viewpoints of its student body, faculty, and staff.
Harvard on Monday announced that it’s rejecting a list of demands from the Trump admin. This comes as the feds threaten to cut more $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard and its affiliates amid an antisemitism investigation.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard’s lawyers wrote to the Trump admin in a letter. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government. Accordingly, Harvard will not accept the government’s terms as an agreement in principle.
“Harvard remains open to dialogue about what the university has done, and is planning to do, to improve the experience of every member of its community,” the attorneys added. “But Harvard is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.”
Amid the antisemitism investigation, the feds have been calling on Harvard to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.
The feds have said Harvard must implement merit-based admissions policies, and end all preferences based on race, color, or national origin in admissions. Harvard must implement merit-based hiring policies, the feds added.
Then late Friday night, the Trump administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands.
“They include requirements to ‘audit’ the viewpoints of our student body, faculty, staff, and to ‘reduce the power’ of certain students, faculty, and administrators targeted because of their ideological views,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote.
“It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” the university president wrote about the feds’ letter. “Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.”
