The Trump administration, from day one, has taken a variety of actions against colleges across the US targeting students, administration and more specifically federal funding. Most notably, the Trump administration has issued what is basically a list of demands, stating that if colleges do not comply they are under threat of losing federal funding.
To be very clear, most colleges could not survive without this federal aid, which makes opposing Trump a possible death sentence to universities across the country.
That said, Harvard just did something that I’ve been waiting for literally any college to do, they took a public stance against Trump’s unconstitutional demands.
In a news release from Harvard’s Office of the President, entitled “The Promise of American Higher Education,” the university outlined all the demands Trump has made, why they are unconstitutional, and why they will not comply.
“For three-quarters of a century, the federal government has awarded grants and contracts to Harvard and other universities to help pay for work that, along with investments by the universities themselves, has led to groundbreaking innovations across a wide range of medical, engineering, and scientific fields,” the release stated. “For the government to retreat from these partnerships now risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals but also the economic security and vitality of our nation.”
In response to a letter sent directly to Harvard university from the Department of Education, which was published in its entirety in the Harvard response article, Harvard provides examples of the unconstitutional demands the Trump administration has made to their university, and states very clearly that they will not comply.
“They [The Department of Education] include requirements to “audit” the viewpoints of our student body, faculty, staff, and to “reduc[e] the power” of certain students, faculty, and administrators targeted because of their ideological views. We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
At the time of writing this, the Trump administration’s only response has been the freezing of $2 billion in funds. We can assume Harvard expected this, and while the freeze is massive the most important developments are likely yet to come.
It’s important to note that the Trump administration has taken a strong focus on some of the larger and most notable universities across the country. However, this does not mean his administration could not eventually focus on more localized schools such as CWU.
So why does Harvard’s stance matter for Washington colleges? Typically, when a college like Harvard takes a stand, other universities follow. It’s very likely that this public response sparks a trend across some of the larger colleges in the US in terms of publicly denouncing the Trump administration’s policies. At the same time, if the administration continues to respond drastically, this situation could serve as an example with the opposite effect, showing why colleges simply cannot withstand this drastic withdrawal of federal aid.
At the very least, Harvard has shown that it is possible for a college to publicly oppose the Trump administration, and set a strong precedent for the types of responses we can expect from other powerful institutions. It is very likely that if Harvard wins this stand-off, colleges across Washington will follow suit. Right now, it all depends on Trump’s continued response. Whatever happens, this situation will likely be the most important development in higher education in recent history.
