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Harvard University has rejected a list of claims from the Trump administration that would require the changes at the higher education institution to recover almost $ 9 billion to federal financing, saying that it does not allow itself to be “taken over by the federal government.”
In a letter to administrative officials on Monday, advocates for the university said that the list of claims sent by the government in early April went “beyond the legal authority of this or any administration” and refused to agree to the conditions.
Trump administration officials have demanded that Harvard terminate all diversity, fairness and inclusion policies, limiting student protesters, the power of students and faculties on school leaders, must work with federal law enforcement such as the Department of Home Security and more.
It is part of the administration’s “review” of federal funding to higher education institutions. Harvard receives about $ 9 billion in government grants and government contracts, which are the school’s largest source of research support.
But Harvard, which has the largest endowment in the world at an estimated $ 53.2 billion, rebuked the administration’s attempt to achieve more control over it.
“The university will not surrender its independence or renounce its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow him to be taken over by the federal government. As a result, Harvard will not accept the government’s conditions as an agreement in principle,” the letter states.
Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, said in a statement: “No government – no matter what party is in power – must determine what private universities can learn, what they can acknowledge and rent, and what study areas and investigation they can pursue.”
Professors at the school praised Garber on social media for returning against the request of the administration.
The Trump administration pursued similar tactics with other ivy leagues, including Columbia University, Cornell University, Brown University, Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania.
The University of Columbia agreed to Trump’s claims and won $ 400 million in financing.
It is alleged that it revised federal funding to fight anti-Semitism on university campuses-an issue they claim arose last year from the student-led pro-Palestinian protests as the elimination of dei programs, which they believe is unfair.
Under the list of claims of the administration, he asked Harvard to adopt merit-based admission and rent-something the school was already complying with after the Supreme Court decreased affirmative action.
Garber said the school has taken steps to address anti -Semitism on campus and also plans to do more. But in the end, the request of the administration went beyond the fight against anti -Semitism.
He warned that the recall of federal financing would harm critical research that contributed to creating breakthroughs in medical, engineering and scientific fields.
“Harvard remains open to dialogue on what the university has done, and intends to do, to improve the experience of every member of his community,” wrote advocates for the school.
“But Harvard is not prepared to agree to claims that exceed the legal authority of this or any administration.”
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