Well, that escalated quickly.
One would think that Harvard University would have probably not rushed to publicize a letter that the Trump administration sent with regards to the future of federal funding.
Specifically, the Trump administration cited ongoing concerns regarding antisemitism, alongside other perceived issues, such as hiring practices.
By hiring practices, of course, the administration is likely referring to DEI initiatives that have been theoretically banned via executive order.
However, the private contents of the Trump administration’s letter have become very public, as a direct result of the university’s disclosure.
As a result, Trump threatened to yank an additional $1B in federal funding from the institution, in addition to the $2.2B already removed.
Harvard’s response? A very public lawsuit.
According to a report from the New York Post, “Harvard University slapped a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday in a bid to unfreeze over $2.2 billion in grants and other funding imposed against the wealthy Ivy League school for refusing to make reforms to combat antisemitism on campus and address other concerns.”
Alan Garber, who serves as President of Harvard University, wrote a pointed letter in which he expressed open resistance to the Trump administration while outlining all the reasons why the Ivy League institution initiated a significant lawsuit.
“Over the course of the past week, the federal government has taken several actions following Harvard’s refusal to comply with its illegal demands,” Garber contentiously began.
A rather aggressive approach, to be clear … especially if universities themselves are not necessarily 100 percent legally compliant 100 percent of the time.
That said, Garber is clearly focused on the Trump administration’s funding threats.
Acknowledging that “some members of the administration” have claimed “[the] letter was sent by mistake,” Garber insisted that “other statements and their actions suggest otherwise.”
“Doubling down on the letter’s sweeping and intrusive demands – which would impose unprecedented and improper control over the University – the government has, in addition to the initial freeze of $2.2 billion in funding, considered taking steps to freeze an additional $1 billion in grants, initiated numerous investigations of Harvard’s operations, threatened the education of international students, and announced that it is considering a revocation of Harvard’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status,” Garber raged.
Well, to be fair, said “international students” may not exactly have undergone the most rigorous vetting process in the world.
In fact, student visas remain one of the absolute easiest ways to enter the country … especially as universities are incentivized to collect enormous tuition fees from international students.
Nonetheless, Garber blitzes onwards to the justification for the university’s lawsuit.
“Moments ago, we filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority,” Garber proclaimed, adding that the lawsuit was not only relevant to Harvard, but also other universities threatened by Trump’s funding cuts.
Garber also includes a link to the entire text of the lawsuit itself, which was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Naturally, the lawsuit is as contentious as the letter.
“In recent weeks, the federal Government has launched a broad attack on the critical
funding partnerships that make this invaluable research possible. To date, the Government has – with little warning and even less explanation – slashed billions of dollars in federal funding to universities across America, including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern. This case involves the Government’s efforts to use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard,” the lawsuit notes.
Well, it would seem that ample warning was given on the campaign trail, but the university likely assumed that Kamala would have won instead.
The lawsuit also accuses the Trump administration of egregious violations of the Constitution.
“The Government’s actions flout not just the First Amendment, but also federal laws
and regulations. The Government has expressly invoked the protections against discrimination contained in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a basis for its actions. Make no mistake: Harvard rejects antisemitism and discrimination in all of its forms and is actively making structural reforms to eradicate antisemitism on campus. But rather than engage with Harvard regarding those ongoing efforts, the Government announced a sweeping freeze of funding for medical, scientific, technological, and other research that has nothing at all to do with antisemitism and Title VI compliance,” the lawsuit added.
That’s the peril of attempting to restrict speech on campus, with visible “free speech” signs and all.
Perhaps greater respect should have been paid to the First Amendment, period, for all students.
In particular those at “elite” Ivy League universities.
Author: Ofelia Thornton
