Things are as contentious in the United States as they have been in a long time. United States President Donald Trump is testing the limits of his executive power, and even seems bent on challenging the nation’s highest court, the Supreme Court.
Trump is also trying to bend colleges and universities to his will, threatening to withhold federal funding and grants to institutions if they fail to comply with his policies, such as prohibiting transgender athletes from competing and cracking down on protests against Israel.
One institution, however, is publicly standing up to Trump.
“No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement.
Former President Barack Obama is supporting Harvard’s decision to defy Trump, and even went as far as to blast Trump’s recent actions as “unlawful.”
“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions – rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit.”
Trump’s administration has already responded by freezing $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard.
It’ll be interesting to see how this saga continues to unfold.
