Harvard University is rejecting the Trump administration’s demands for various policy reforms intended to restore ideological balance on campus, placing the school’s federal funding in jeopardy.
Harvard wrote a letter Monday to the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration accusing the federal government of disregarding its First Amendment freedoms and failing to prove the alleged harms that inform the administration’s demands.
“It is unfortunate, then, that your letter disregards Harvard's efforts and instead presents demands that, in contravention of the First Amendment, invade university freedoms long recognized by the Supreme Court. The government's terms also circumvent Harvard's statutory rights by requiring unsupported and disruptive remedies for alleged harms that the government has not proven through mandatory processes established by Congress and required by law,” Harvard’s attorneys wrote.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. 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 discussions with the Trump administration, even though it is rejecting its initial demands. The White House is currently reviewing $9 million of federal funding to Harvard as it investigates whether the renowned university is adequately addressing campus antisemitism and complying with federal civil rights law. Trump’s task force on antisemitism is investigating Harvard in accordance with the president’s executive order on combating antisemitic harassment within federally funded institutions.
The Trump administration sent Harvard an expanded list of demands last week for what it must do to create a scholarly and intellectually diverse academic environment that justifies its current level of federal funding.
The demands include merit-based hiring and admissions, screening international admits to prevent terrorism supporters from enrolling, increasing viewpoint diversity in admissions and hiring, allowing an external an audit of antisemitic and far-left ideological programs, reducing administrative bloat, ending DEI initiatives, disempowering student activists, enforcing disciplinary policies against campus agitators, protecting whistleblowers, and submitting a transparency report each quarter.
Harvard touted its reforms over the past 15 months to address the explosion of antisemitism at the Ivy League school following Hamas’s rampage against Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts school said it implemented procedures for accountability and discipline while strengthening programs meant to support ideological diversity and combat hate on campus.
“Harvard is in a very different place today from where it was a year ago. These efforts, and additional measures the university will be taking against antisemitism, not only are the right thing to do but also are critical to strengthening Harvard's community as a place in which everyone can thrive,” Harvard said.
Last year, Harvard was one of several elite colleges taken over by anti-Israel protest encampment. Many of those anti-Israel demonstrations featured calls to destroy Israel as well as anti-American viewpoints.
Conservatives have long been critical of progressive uniformity among college professors and administrators, especially during the outbreak of anti-Israel and anti-American agitation on many campuses.
Given the Trump administration’s disruption of the status quo in higher education, Harvard instituted a temporary hiring freeze in March until it has a better idea of what federal policy will look like moving forward. The administration has launched civil rights investigations into dozens of educational institutions over campus antisemitism and left-wing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
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