Harvard University has rejected demands made by the Donald Trump administration, which has threatened to withhold nearly $9 billion in funding from it.
In early April, the Trump administration sent several demands to Harvard, such as ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, and altering courses that allegedly “fuel antisemitic harassment,” according to a letter published by the Washington Post.
In a strongly worded letter signed by two of the university’s lawyers, Harvard, consistently ranked among the top institutions globally, asserted it would not abdicate its independence or its constitutionally guaranteed rights. The letter emphasised that Harvard would not accept demands beyond the legitimate authority of this or any other administration.
Located near Boston in the northeast, Harvard is the first university to reject the administration’s demands, despite having much to lose considering its dependency on funding.
The university’s lawyers said Harvard had taken significant steps over the past 15 months to combat antisemitism. They argued that the administration’s letter ignored these efforts and presented demands that infringe upon long-established academic freedoms as upheld by the Supreme Court.
The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees fundamental liberties, including freedom of speech.
Since Trump’s return to the White House in January, his administration has targeted major universities that have been involved, in varying degrees, in student movements protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza for over a year.
Previously, the government cut $400 million dollars in funding from Columbia University in New York for similar reasons. Columbia has since implemented drastic reforms requested by the administration in an effort to regain these funds.
