Tensions are increasing in the US academia, after the Trump government has froze more than $ 2 billion in scholarships and multi -annual contracts at Harvard University.
The measure was taken after the institution’s leaders refused to make important political changes that the White House is also demanding from other US elite colleges.
Harvard refused to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, to prohibit masks in campus protests, promulgate hiring and admission reforms based on merit and reduce the power of faculty and administrators, called by the Republican government of “more committed to activism than to the scholarship.”
“The university will not give up its independence or constitutional rights,” wrote Harvard President Alan M. Garber, on Monday (14), about the Ivy League school (American universities group known for academic excellence, tradition and world influence) near Boston.
Harvard seems to be the first US elite university to reject White House demands, which, according to Trump officials, aim to combat anti -Semitism after contentious campus protests in response to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Universities are responsible for defending civil rights laws and preventing harassment to Jewish students, the Trump government wrote on Monday about the freezing of Harvard financing without citing any example.
“It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to significant changes if they want to continue to receive support from taxpayers,” said the joint anti-Semitism task force of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump’s authorities also took steps to revoke the visas of more than 525 students, teachers and researchers in more than 80 US universities and colleges. Some are cases of great repercussion involving alleged support for terrorist organizations, while others involve relatively lower offenses, such as offenses committed for years.
See how universities across the country are responding to the demands of the White House for changes in institutional politics.
Columbia University
Columbia University was one of the first colleges targeted by the Trump administration, which on March 7 announced that $ 400 million in federal scholarships and contracts were being removed from the university due to which White House officials described as a school failure to prevent anti -Semitism in the midst of last year’s campus protests.
In a second letter the following week, he outlined specific changes he wanted to see after discussions with university authorities, including the school to apply its disciplinary policies, implement rules for protests, prohibit the use of masks with the “purpose of hiding someone’s identity”, announced a plan to blame student groups, strengthen their application of the law and their policies and their policies Admission.
After about two weeks and goings, the Ivy League school in New York presented an action plan for changes that seem to meet administration’s concerns. Its board of directors approved the changes as aligned with the values and mission of the school.
“Members of our community and external stakeholders have raised concerns about a multitude of issues such as anti -Semitism, discrimination, harassment and prejudice,” the curators wrote. “We take these concerns seriously and we are committed to creating a better environment on campus. We are confident that taking advantage of progress and the ideas presented today will help us achieve these goals.”
Three federal agencies called the policy changes a “first positive step.”
Following the government’s announcement of Harvard’s funding, the acting president of Columbia University, Claire Shipman, said her university continued “discussions of good faith” with the Trump government to restore her working relationship.
No agreement was made, she wrote, and Columbia would reject any “heavy orchestration” in which “the government dictates what we teach, research or who hired” or “would require us to renounce our independence and autonomy as an educational institution.”
“Like many of you, I read Harvard’s message with great interest by rejecting federal government demands for changes in policies and practices that would reach the very core of that university’s venerable mission,” Shipman wrote. “At this time, a continuous public debate about the value and principles of higher education is extremely useful.”
Princeton University
The Trump government suspended $ 210 million in Princeton University research scholarships while the school is investigated for anti -Semitism on campus, the Ivy League school president announced in early April.
The funds came from NASA, the Department of Defense and the Energy Department, Princeton said. The Trade Department announced last week that Princeton would lose almost another $ 4 million in federal funding for climate research programs.
“The full justification for this action is not yet clear,” wrote university president Christopher Eisgruber to the New Jersey university community after the first scholarship suspensions.
Eisgruber has been talking openly about his concerns about suspended financing, as it is still unclear whether the parties are in negotiations.
Prior to the suspension of Princeton’s financing, Eisgruber called the Trump government actions “the biggest threat to American universities since red panic of the 1950s” in an opinion article at Atlantic about the situation in Columbia.
“I believe it is essential to protect academic freedom,” Eisgruber told the New York Times after the cutting of Princeton’s financing. He was not willing to make any concession to the government, he added, noting that Trump’s authorities had not asked anything specific.
Cornell University and Northwestern University
Last week, the Trump government froze more than $ 1 billion in federal funding for Cornell University, an Ivy League school in New York State, and $ 790 million in federal funding to Northwestern University near Chicago, a White House official told CNN .
“The money has been frozen in connection with several in progress, reliable and worrying investigations of Title VI,” said a Trump government official, referring to federal status that prohibits discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funding.
None of the universities was informed by the government that the financing was frozen until the fact was reported by the media, both said last week, although Cornell received more than 75 works to stop the Defense Department, according to the statement.
“We are actively seeking information from federal authorities to learn more about the basis of these decisions,” Cornell said in a statement.
Northwestern “fully cooperated” with congress investigations and the Department of Education, he said.
“The federal funds that Northwestern receives innovative and lives research, such as recent development by Northwestern researchers from the world’s smallest pacemaker, and research that drives the fight against Alzheimer’s disease,” the university said in a statement. “This type of research is now at risk.”
Cornell University announced on Monday that it is joining a lawsuit by contesting the cuts proposed by the Department of Energy in indirect costs, such as facilities and public services, which seem separated from frozen financing.
This content was originally published in see how universities are answering demands from the Trump administration on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
