Politics
Trump Administration Conditions Harvard’s Funding on Eliminating DEI, Restricting Protests
The Trump administration demanded that Harvard eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, ban masks at protests, and agree to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security to avoid cuts to its federal funding.
Artists Pull Out Of Carpenter Center Talk Citing ‘Capitulatory’ Stance from Harvard on Trump’s Demands
Two artists abruptly backed out from their scheduled talk at Harvard in protest of what they saw as a willingness to capitulate by Harvard leadership to the demands of the Trump administration.
‘Authoritarianism’: Mass. Lawmakers Condemn Harvard Funding Review
Top Massachusetts lawmakers showed outrage and gave dire warnings in response to Monday’s announcement that three federal agencies are reviewing more than $8 billion in Harvard’s federal funding.
Conservative Journalist Jason Riley Calls Higher Ed ‘Intellectually Intolerant’ at HBS Talk
Fox News commentator and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason L. Riley discussed “The Trouble of Social Justice” and the decline of higher education in the U.S. at an event hosted by the Harvard Business School Conservative Club on Wednesday.
HSPH Professor Joins Lawsuit Challenging NIH Cuts to Research Grants
Harvard School of Public Health professor Brittany M. Charlton joined a lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, alleging that the Trump administration’s cuts to equity-related research grants violated the Fifth Amendment and required Congressional approval.
Historian Jon Meacham Says America is in ‘Moral Crisis’ at IOP Forum
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon E. Meacham said the United States was at a “crossroads” and called on Americans to remain committed to the fight for democracy at an Institute of Politics forum Wednesday.
Republican and Democratic Students Go Head-to-Head at Debate Night
In a debate between the Harvard College Democrats and the Harvard Republican Club, members from both organizations discussed their party’s stance on economics, foreign policy, and immigration on Apr 1.
Harvard Professor Questions Trump’s Alien Enemies Act Application at HLS Talk
Harvard Law School professor W. Neil Eggleston — former President Barack Obama’s White House Counsel and a member of President Bill Clinton’s Counsel Office — discussed President Donald Trump’s executive authority to trigger the Alien Enemies Act without following due process at a Tuesday lunch talk.
17 Senators Call for Release of HMS Researcher Kseniia Petrova
A group of 17 U.S. senators demanded the release of Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova, who was detained in Boston Logan Airport after a personal trip to France in February, in a Monday letter.
Trump Administration To Review Billions in Federal Funding to Harvard
Three federal agencies announced a review of more than $8 billion in “multi-year grant commitments” to Harvard as part of an ongoing investigation into the University by the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism on Monday.
GOP Rep. Targets Federal Judge, Harvard Overseer Theodore Chuang ’91 for Impeachment
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) filed impeachment articles against United States District Court Judge Theodore D. Chuang ’91 — a member of Harvard’s Board of Overseers, the University second-highest governing body — on Monday.
More Than 80 HLS Professors Denounce Trump Admin Attacks on Law Firms in Letter to Students
Roughly 70 percent of Harvard Law School’s professors accused the federal government of exacting retribution on lawyers and law firms for representing clients opposed by President Donald Trump in a Saturday night letter to the school’s student body.
FAS Dean Asks Center Directors To Show Compliance With Viewpoint Diversity Guidance
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra told directors of FAS centers they would be required to meet with their divisional deans to explain how their programs are complying with recent guidance on intellectual diversity in a Tuesday email.
Title VI: An Old Law Is a New Tool in the War for Harvard
In the Trump administration’s campaign to punish colleges and universities for their response to pro-Palestine protests, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act has emerged as the clear legal weapon of choice.
Russian HMS Researcher Detained at Louisiana ICE Facility After Visa Revocation
Harvard Medical School researcher Kseniia Petrova is detained at a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana after her research visa was revoked last month for inadvertently failing to properly declare frog embryos she brought into the country.
Trump Cut Federal Funding to Penn for Transgender Athlete Policies. Could Harvard Be Next?
After the White House suspended $175 million of the University of Pennsylvania’s federal funding last week over the participation of a transgender athlete on the school’s swim team, the funding cut’s legal basis remains murky — and Harvard could be next on the list.
Foreign Affairs Experts Debate Impact of USAID Cuts at Harvard IOP Forum
Harvard's Institute of Politics hosted a panel Tuesday evening on the future of foreign aid following the Trump administration’s plans to eliminate more than 90 percent of the contracts for the United States International Agency for Development.
Khurana Says Harvard is Preparing for Possible Federal Funding Cuts
Following the Trump administration’s decision to cut $400 million in government grants to Columbia University, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana said top administrators are planning for the possibility that Harvard may be next.
Harvard AAUP Sues Trump Administration Over Attempts To Deport Pro-Palestine Students, Faculty
The Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday morning for allegedly violating its members’ First Amendment rights by arresting and attempting to deport noncitizens for expressing pro-Palestine views.
Trump’s Order to Shutter Education Department Ushers in Period of Uncertainty for Universities
After firing half of the Education Department’s personnel, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to close the Education Department – the latest blow to higher education.
Dozens of Jewish Harvard Faculty Sign Statement Denouncing Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil
Nearly 80 Jewish Harvard affiliates — including at least three dozen faculty members — signed a Sunday statement urging universities to denounce the arrest of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil.
How Allston’s State Representatives Fund Their Campaigns
Michael J. Moran and Kevin G. Honan have served in the Massachusetts State House for decades, but Moran draws from a far wider-reaching network of donors and maintains a higher cash amount in his campaign account.
2 Months After Settlement, Kestenbaum Seeks To File Amended Antisemitism Complaint Against Harvard
Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum and two unnamed plaintiffs asked on Thursday to file an amended complaint against Harvard in federal court, seeking to continue their lawsuit alleging Harvard failed to fight antisemitism.
Federal Judge and Harvard Overseer Theodore Chuang Finds Trump’s USAID Purge Was Likely Unconstitutional
Federal judge Theodore D. Chuang ’91 — a member of the Board of Overseers, Harvard’s second-highest governing body — ruled that Elon Musk’s attempts to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development were likely unconstitutional.
United Nations Investigator Asks Universities To Fight Against Trump at HLS Talk
United Nations Special Rapporteur Gina Romero urged Harvard to stand by free speech principles and protect international students against deportation threats from the Trump administration at a Harvard Law School talk on Tuesday.