Harvard is entering an intense battle with the Trump administration after the White House made outlandish demands that would impact Harvard’s admissions, campus protests and faculty leadership processes. The Ivy League university’s fight for the essence of higher education needs the attention and support of colleges and universities nationwide.
The Trump administration first sent Harvard its demands April 11, outlining an invasive and controlling list of reforms that included requiring the university to eliminate diversity-based hiring and admissions, ban masks, eliminate all DEI initiatives and reduce power held by students and untenured faculty.
Harvard’s response was a fierce refusal to comply. The university released a statement holding the administration accountable for what its actions are: A poorly-disguised and unlawful grab at power over higher education.
The Trump administration followed by announcing a $2.2 billion freeze in funding for Harvard, and on April 21, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration.
Trump’s attempt is yet another classic move made by authoritarian leaders throughout history, said Scot Schraufnagel, a political science professor at NIU.
“Dictators don’t like higher education because they don’t want an educated public,” Schraufnagel said. “They don’t want people being, you know, aware of their shenanigans or whatever, and so, there’s a long history of authoritarian rulers trying to prevent, you know, or to try to regulate the higher education, but we don’t see it in democracies. That’s where it’s unusual.”
The White House is trying to masquerade its demands as necessary reform to combat anti-semitism on Harvard’s campus.
Our president, who lets a billionaire criticized for supporting neo-Nazi political groups influence his office and who identifies as politically conservative – the party which traditionally advocates for less federal government involvement in private affairs, is trying to exert extreme government control over who can attend American universities and what they can advocate for, and calling it support of Jewish students.
Oh, so much irony and all so palpable.
Scraufnagel explained that the Trump administration is likely gunning for Harvard because if it can gain control over such a prestigious school, it would probably be able to impact smaller universities too.
Harvard is a standard-bearer nationwide. That means Harvard must serve as a torch-bearer in the battle to protect higher education from corrupt government influence.
Other universities have begun joining the cause. The Big Ten Academic Alliance universities have proposed a Mutual Defense Compact to protect each other from unconstitutional government intervention.
And here, at NIU, April 23’s protest to support international students was a necessary and beautiful display, following the revocation of at least five international students’ visas at NIU.
It’s critical for universities and colleges across the nation to continue to point out the Trump administration’s abuse of power.
Threatening the independence and accessibility of higher education threatens the goal every enlightened individual should share: To support new thinkers who can improve our nation and world with diverse, equitable and inclusive ideas. Oh, Mr. President – did those words trigger you?
