Harvard’s president says they should “stand firm” as Trump targets schools
Harvard should be firm about what they stand for: Alan Garber, the president of Harvard, and a joint task force to combat antisemitism
In a video interview with Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep, Harvard President Alan Garber said institutions need to double down on their “commitment to the good of the nation” and be firm in what they stand for, which he believes is education and the pursuit of truth. The university sued once when the administration cut off billions of dollars of research grants and contracts. The latest suit came last week when the administration banned Harvard from hosting international students. The administration’s action was temporarily blocked by a judge who allowed foreign students to stay.
In mid-May, a federal antisemitism task force wrote a letter telling Harvard it would lose an additional $450 million in grants from eight federal agencies, in addition to the $2.2 billion that was already frozen. The administration’s allegations that the school was partisan were denied in a letter from the Harvard president. He said the school was not an arm of any political party.
Why cut off funding for research? “Sure, it hurts Harvard but it doesn’t help the country because research funding is not a gift,” he said.
A faculty member of ours just got the Breakthrough Prize for work that led to the discovery of GLP-1 drugs, which are now revolutionizing how we approach obesity, diabetes and many other conditions. A faculty member received the breakthrough prize for their progress in curing diseases with the use of gene editing. We do a lot of this. Everybody benefits from research done by universities. It’s not just about Harvard. And I think that’s important to keep in mind. The kinds of changes that the administration has begun and is contemplating, which include deep cuts to the National Institutes of Health and to the National Science Foundation, will affect all research universities and will have a real impact on the ability of the United States to remain at the forefront of science and technology.
The federal government’s Joint Task Force to combat antisemitism said in an April statement that Harvard’s lack of compliance “reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws. The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jews is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”
Garber sat for an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep and discussed Harvard’s ongoing legal fights with the Trump administration, the work of major research universities, and the administration’s concerns about antisemitism on campus and its assertion that Harvard lacks political “viewpoint diversity.”
The Department of Homeland Security accused Harvard of ignoring a follow up question about international students and refusing to provide information that was demanded about them in their letter cutting off your ability to host international students. Is either of those statements true?
To the best of my knowledge, they are not true. This is clearly the subject of litigation and I need to add that. We have endeavored to comply with the law.
What Is Happening in Harvard? What I’ve Learned about Harvard and what I’m going to teach in the U.S.
Many faculty and staff and students have said that the campus has made a lot of progress over the last year. There has been a lot of progress. Comparing what goes on on campus to what goes on in the rest of the country is a little bit difficult because the manifestations may be different. From what I’ve heard, we have many fewer violent incidents. They’re almost unheard of on our campus and probably a lot less vandalism. The main manifestation of antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias that we have grappled with has to do with social exclusion. It has to do with shunning. If a student sits down at a dining room table and they have good conversations with other students who don’t know them, and when the other students find out that that student is Israeli, if they refuse to continue to speak to them, we have a serious problem that we need to address.
Is that an example of what you intend to do in a large way? You want people to be civil but you also want to allow all sorts of ideas.
Garber: Exactly. We want people to be able to discuss difficult topics with one another, especially when they disagree. We should not be in an echo chamber. Everyone in our community needs to hear other views. And let me add, that’s one reason why it is so important for us to be able to have international students on our campus. They are so important to the environment because they allow everyone else to open their minds.
What would you say to the person in the middle of the country who is listening to us and thinking that they do not have a stake in this? I did not go to Harvard. I am not going to send my child to Harvard. I don’t like Harvard very much. It seems to be about a different group of people. Harvard deserves what they’re getting. In any case, it does not matter to me. What are you going to say to someone with that attitude?
Garber: I would ask them to learn a little bit more, not only about Harvard, but about universities like Harvard – that is research universities. At the center of our university is teaching and learning. Research is the main focus of the university’s activities. There’s so many discoveries that have come from Harvard and other research universities, advances in cancer and treatments of cancer of all kinds.
How do Universities Use the Federal Funding to Realize Research? A Reply to Comment on ”Once more about the federal government” by M. Garber
Garber: I would say that the federal government has the authority through the budgeting process to reallocate funds. But the question to ask is what problem is he trying to solve by doing that? The money that goes to research universities in the form of grants and contracts, which is almost all of the federal support that we get, is used to pay for work that we perform at the behest of the government. So in reallocating to some other use, including trade schools, it means that work just won’t be performed. Is this the most effective use of federal funding? Do you want to reduce your funding for research? I’m more interested in the project it goes to than the location of the trade school or highway project. The question is, how much value does the federal government get from spending on research? There is a lot of actual research demonstrating the returns to the American people have been enormous.
The person said Garber. Well, they said it I have to repeat it myself, because I have to believe it. And that is how it’s understood by the other leaders of other universities that I have spoken to. It is a warning that should be taken seriously. They see this as a message that if you don’t comply with what we’re demanding, these will be the consequences.
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Harvard’s president speaks out against Trump. And, an analysis of DEI job losses: NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer
Corporate America is distancing itself from DEI. This move showcases a significant shift from five years ago, when the racial reckoning triggered by George Floyd’s murder sent companies racing to staff up. NPR reports on the extent of job losses in this field.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group backed by the U.S. and Israel, is starting to bring limited quantities of food to Gaza, where hunger is widespread and extreme. The group is facing suspicion and criticism from UN and other aid groups. The executive director, Jake Wood, said on Sunday that he couldn’t abandon principles of humanity, impartiality and independence.
After their son’s defection to Islamic State, a Minnesota couple learned that they had two young grandsons trapped in a Syrian desert camp. They are among about 22 US citizens still in the camp, according to the State Department. When the two Minnesota boys were flown to New York in a military cargo plane, they were going to start a new life in the American Midwest. Read the full story here by NPR‘s Sacha Pfeiffer.
Source: Harvard’s president speaks out against Trump. And, an analysis of DEI job losses
A hiker’s experience with the Cerro San Cristóbal, Chile: A trail to learn more about the Santa Cruz de los cactus
In Santiago, the capital of Chile, it’s very easy to go hiking because of the steep hills. At the center is Cerro San Cristóbal, with breathtaking views of wildflowers, pine forests and the Andes Mountains. Brian Mann traveled through the forested hills of volcanic rock to get to the groves of cactus. Listen as he talks about his experience from the trail and check out the photos from his journey.
The letter says agencies must give a list of their terminated contracts to the General Services Administration by June 6.
The letter from the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service encourages agencies to look for alternative vendors for future services, that they had previously considered Harvard.
The government official, who did not want to be named because they were not authorized to speak, confirmed the authenticity of the letter, first published by the New York Times.
The previous administration introduced reviews of visa applicants’ social media accounts. The policy remained during President Joe Biden’s administration.
An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding-school or exchange students’ plans to enroll in summer and fall terms.
A decrease in international students could hurt the budgets of universities. To make up for cuts in federal research funding, some colleges were forced to enroll more international students who pay full tuition.
State Department Veterinarian Suspension on Students’ Visa Applications and the Legal Status Restoration of Students Embedded in the United States
The suspension does not apply to applicants who have already scheduled their interviews, and is intended to be temporary according to the official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the document.
The State Department will issue guidance on expanded social media vetting, according to the cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press.
The cable says that the consulate sections must not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity until guidance is issued.
Tammy Bruce said the U.S. uses all available resources to vet people applying for visas.
This spring the administration also revoked the legal status of thousands of international students already in the country, leading some to leave the U.S. out of fear of deportation. After many students filed successful legal challenges, the administration said it was restoring the students’ legal status. The grounds for ending international students’ legal status was expanded by the government.
WASHINGTON — The State Department has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. while it prepares to expand the screening of their activity on social media, officials said.
