In a letter to Harvard Friday, Trump's administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university.
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"When it comes to Harvard, the President's position on this is grounded in common sense, in the basic principle that Jewish-American students, or students of any faith, should not be illegally harassed and targeted on our nation's college campuses – and we unfortunately saw that illegal discrimination take place on the campus of Harvard." Karoline Leavitt Brian Camenker, president of MassResistance, thinks the Trump administration's demands on Harvard University are quite reasonable. "It's saying stuff that every college should be doing anyway … don't discriminate, don't allow harassment, and don't let foreign actors come in and cause havoc," notes the conservative activist and political analyst. 
"If you just read it, it's worded in somewhat of an aggressive form," he continues, referring to the letter from the Trump administration. "But the stuff that it says is completely reasonable." As for the school's complaint that the federal government is limiting activism on campus, Camenker points out the government already puts lots of conditions on the money colleges receive. "So, for Harvard to blame the government [for] suddenly coming in and telling them what to do? Well, they've been doing that for decades. This is completely reasonable …," he tells AFN. |
The government's demands included that Harvard institute what it called “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies and conduct an audit of the student body, faculty and leadership on their views about diversity. The administration also called for a ban on face masks at Harvard — an apparent target of anti-Israel campus protesters — and pressured the university to stop recognizing or funding “any student group or club that endorses or promotes criminal activity, illegal violence, or illegal harassment.”
The federal government said almost $9 billion in grants and contracts in total were at risk if Harvard did not comply.
On Monday, Harvard President Alan Garber said the university would not bend to the government's demands.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Garber said in a letter to the Harvard community. “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
Harvard's defiance, the federal antisemitism task force said Monday, "reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges — that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.
“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable.”
Trump has promised a more aggressive approach against antisemitism on campus, accusing former President Joe Biden of letting schools off the hook. Trump's administration has opened new investigations at colleges and detained and deported several foreign students with ties to anti-Israel protests.
Editor's note: Sidebar added after story was originally posted.
