Trump Can’t Order Away Ideas

No matter how hard the Trump administration tries, it can’t legislate away ideas.

In a letter last Friday, the Department of Education warned Harvard and other federally funded institutions to stop using race as a factor in financial aid, housing, scholarships, and “all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” The move comes as part of a weeks-long wave of attacks by the Trump administration targeting the very core of higher education.

But while very real funding cuts may repress research, a letter with arguably little legal power will not stifle progressivism — even as the Trump administration attempts to use financial pressure to bend institutions like Harvard to its will. Put simply, ideological change cannot come from the top down.

Despite the Trump team’s best efforts to paint it as such, Harvard is not an unruly miscreant. When the Supreme Court struck down race-based affirmative action, the University obeyed. But this letter is one bullying, overreaching step too far. The message suggests that the Court’s ruling — which specifically targeted admissions — affects every area of campus life.

This kind of broad, unenforceable, and uninformed attack displays both ignorance and malice.

Let’s be clear: Today, race-based decision-making at Harvard is a Trumpian bogeyman, not a reality. Recognized student organizations are already not allowed to discriminate based on race. Affinity groups are open to all — the Black Students Association cannot exclude non-Black students from membership; the Asian American Brotherhood writes “all identities welcome” on their invitations.

In this light, the targeting of programs that so much as mention race seems like nothing more than a messaging ploy. The language of the letter feels vague, intended to sow confusion, energize Trump’s base, and scare progressive student groups. Was this ever really about policy?

Harvard, then, shouldn’t overreact or bend to vague and tangential demands. Instead, amidst the frenzy, Harvard should clearly communicate to student organizations that they can and should keep doing what they do.

The University can use existing training programs for student organizations, like Student Organization Center Online, to keep student organizations in the loop and help them navigate the implications of ongoing right-wing attacks.

With one brash red herring after another, the Trump administration is using the platform of the federal government to wage a culture war. It won’t win.

This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.

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