Amanda Marcotte at Salon:
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard President Alan Garber declared in a public letter. Garber subtly scoffed at the notion that the “reforms” demanded by Trump have jack-all to do with “fighting anti-semitism,” making clear that Trump’s defunding threats are about silencing progressive thought, forcing the school to hire MAGA hacks as professors and making life so hellish for students it would permanently tarnish the school’s brand. Garber also noted that the White House wants to “’audit’ the viewpoints of our student body” and ban students who have political views Trump doesn’t like.
Harvard’s endowment is large enough to weather the loss of federal funding. Nonetheless, this is an important move that can help stiffen the spines at other schools. Already, the leadership at Stanford University has piped up in support, with a similar vow to tell Trump to shove his authoritarian demands. At Yale, 876 faculty members signed a letter supporting Harvard’s actions. Several other Ivy League universities joined with a group of state schools to file a lawsuit against Trump’s funding cuts on Monday. After Harvard’s public stand, even Columbia’s interim president issued a statement saying the school no longer consents to some of the Trump administration’s “overly prescriptive” demands.
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions,” former President Barack Obama said in response. “Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”
More here.
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