President Donald Trump’s administration has found itself in a standoff with the administration of Harvard University over the institution’s refusal to take action against what the administration calls an antisemitic university environment. In response to their resistance, Trump froze $2 billion worth of federal funding meant for Harvard on May 5, as described in a recent letter from Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Trump has also threatened to remove the school’s tax-exempt status (a power he does not have, according to CBS). Harvard has taken Trump to court over his withholding of federal funds; oral arguments in the case are scheduled to begin on July 21, CNN reports.
Conservative voices have supported Trump’s efforts to take decisive action against supposedly prejudiced behavior, according to Inside Higher Ed. Jewish Harvard graduate Shabbos Kestenbaum, who sued Harvard in connection to antisemitic behavior, reportedly agrees strongly with the administration’s demands for the school. Others, however, view the Trump/Harvard standoff as an attempt by the president to subordinate higher learning institutions to his will. In an interview with CBS, Lawrence Summers, a former president of Harvard, admitted, “Harvard has had a big problem with antisemitism,” but alleged that the Trump administration has not tried to confront Harvard through the proper channels.
Niles North senior Eva Spiro, who herself plans to study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is Jewish. She agrees that Harvard’s behavior toward Jewish students has been concerning. “The environment at Harvard, and other academic institutions for that matter, has become increasingly concerning,” Spiro said. “Jewish students are being blockaded from classes, religiously-affiliated institutions, and dorm rooms. The increase in Jewish hate is frankly unacceptable.”
However, Spiro added, “While I understand that there needs to be a stand against the hatred towards Jewish people, I find the withdrawal of academic funding to be quite concerning. It saddens me and makes me feel deeply for the students who have had no part in any antisemitic events.”
The outcome of this conflict carries both legal and material consequences. For one thing, the loss of funding means Harvard will find more difficulty in conducting research. CNN reports that a vast collection of biological material stored at Harvard, which has been used for research purposes including proving the link between smoking cigarettes and heart disease, will now be more difficult to maintain without federal money going to the upkeep of the freezers where the material is stored.
Other research, including some looking into tuberculosis and space travel, will also be jeopardized.
In addition to cutting funding, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem threatened on April 16 to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students unless the institution provided information on applicants with student visas “who had been involved in ‘known illegal’ or ‘dangerous’ activity.” Noem also demanded information on visa-holders’ classwork to make sure they had taken enough classes to continue qualifying for their visa.
In all, 12 Harvard international students and graduates had their visas revoked. However, according to their student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, half of them have had their visas returned. Reuters reports that on April 25, the Trump administration announced it would restore the legal statuses of hundreds of other international students while it worked on a policy to guide the revocation of student visas.
“When America opens its doors to immigrants, I believe the implication is that the constitution…applies to those who carry visas or greencards. In that regard, I believe visa-holding individuals deserve the rights [provided by] the First Amendment,” Spiro commented. “While hate speech is never welcomed and should be dealt with in an educating manner, deportation should not be the first resort.”
