Donald Trump News: Harvard University Rejects Trump's Demand for a Change of Course

Donald Trump News: Harvard University Rejects Trump's Demand for a Change of Course Article by kns/roj/news.de • 3 hours • 2 minutes read The elite US university Harvard is refusing to implement the change in policy demanded by President Donald Trump, for example, in student admissions, thereby risking billions in lost funding. "No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities may teach, whom they may admit and hire, and which areas of study and research they may pursue," said a letter from university President Alan Garber. The university will not surrender its independence and its constitutional rights. In a letter on Friday, the Trump administration called on the university, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to make several changes and make commitments. The letter demanded that the university report foreign students who violate codes of conduct to federal authorities, conduct a review of the diversity of opinions among students and university staff, and end student admissions and hiring based on diversity criteria. New York University has already made concessions According to US media, around $9 billion (€7.9 billion) in federal funding for Harvard is at stake – for example, for research programs. The Trump administration has recently targeted universities. It was particularly concerned about diversity programs. They were introduced to counteract historical discrimination against Black people and women, for example. Pro-Palestinian protests at various universities across the country last year are also a thorn in the side of the Trump administration. Other elite universities are also in the Trump administration's sights. The New York University of Columbia has already made concessions to the US government following threats from Washington. Former US President Barack Obama recently demanded that universities facing government cuts in funding for their diversity programs, for example, should use their endowment funds or cut costs instead of complying with Trump's demands. In his response to the Trump administration's letter, Harvard President Garber further wrote that freedom of thought and inquiry, and the government's long-standing commitment to respecting and protecting them, have enabled universities to contribute critically to a free society. Regarding the Trump administration's demand for action against antisemitism, Garber countered that the letter made it clear that there was no intention to work with the university to combat antisemitism "in a cooperative and constructive manner."