Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Freezing Federal Funding
Harvard University President Alan Garber announced on April 21 that the university is suing the Trump administration over freezing billions of dollars to the university.
The administration initially froze more than $2 billion from the university; the government had at first demanded that the university ban masks and rescinds its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program and subsequently issued more demands that, among other things, the university revoke recognition of anti-Israel student groups and auditing its academic programs to ensure that they’re adhering to viewpoint diversity. The Trump administration is reportedly planning on freezing an additional billion dollars after the university publicized the administration’s letter despite the administration’s request it be confidential, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Garber contended that the government’s actions put critical research at risk, including research into cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Further, he argued that “the law requires that the federal government engage with us about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism. Instead, the government’s April 11 demands seek to control whom we hire and what we teach. Today, we stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the world.”
Georgetown Student Gov’t Postpones BDS Vote Initially Scheduled During Passover
Georgetown University’s student government postponed a vote on a nonbinding campuswide referendum that was initially scheduled during Passover calling for the university to divest from companies linked to Israel and sever all academic ties with Israeli universities.
The vote was moved from April 14-16 to April 26-28; it requires a majority vote to pass and at least 25% voter turnout by the undergraduate student body. The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) said in a statement posted to social media that it “made this decision after hearing concerns about the placement of the election during a religious holiday.” According to The Hoya, a student newspaper at the university, 16 of the 28 student senators voted anonymously to bring the referendum to the student body for a vote, which the paper described as being “a departure from standard GUSA procedure.” Jewish Insider noted that other student government business continued during the Passover holiday. University Director of Jewish Life Rabbi Ilana Zietman told the outlet that this “inadvertently [singled] out Jewish student groups for favoritism or bias as some are claiming, which is not the case. Jewish students would have been happier with postponing all student government matters until after the holiday.” She did say that postponing the vote “was the right move in terms of religious inclusion and a fair process.”
CA Education Dept. Says San Jose Ethnic Studies Curriculum Discriminated Against Jewish Students
The California Department of Education concluded on April 4 that the ethnic studies curriculum at Branham High School in San Jose discriminated against Jewish students, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported.
The Bay Area Jewish Coalition filed a complaint to the department in September alleging that the 12th grade ethnic literature curriculum was biased against Israel; the department concluded that a teacher did not provide a pro-Israel viewpoint during a lesson if Israel is a “settler colonial state.” The department also concluded that a teacher failed to address a group project that featured a slide about the “Genocide of Palestinians.” The teacher’s failure to comment “could have been interpreted by the student audience as approval of the presented thesis.”
“To correct the discrimination found in the San Jose investigation, English language arts and social studies teachers at the school will be required to do a one-hour training before the next school year, and to discuss instruction on “controversial topics” as part of their anti-bias training,” JTA reported.
Columbia President Says University “Would Reject Heavy-Handed Orchestration” from Trump Admin
Columbia University Acting President Claire Shipman said in an April 11 statement that the university “would reject heavy-handed orchestration from the government” in its ongoing dialogue with the Trump administration.
The Trump administration revoked $400 million from the university in March, claiming that the university’s response to antisemitism on campus has been inadequate. Shipman said that their discussions with the administration remain ongoing and that no agreement has been reached yet. She stood by the March 21 “commitments” that the university made with the Trump administration. But Shipman outlined where the university draws the line.
“We would reject any agreement in which the government dictates what we teach, research, or who we hire,” she said. “And yes, to put minds at ease, though we seek to continue constructive dialogue with the government, we would reject any agreement that would require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy as an educational institution.”
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