Resistance is vital to maintaining some sense of morality amid the chaos of Donald Trump’s second presidential term. Harvard University, one of the organizations targeted by Trump’s administration, is proving that fighting back is better than bending the knee.
On May 28, Trump said Harvard should cap foreign student enrollment at just 15% to make room for U.S. students who didn’t get in. The announcement comes a week after the administration tried to block Harvard from enrolling international students altogether, and a day after Trump tried to cut any remaining government contracts with the university.
These are just the latest developments in the ongoing battle between the president and the Ivy League school, which began back in April. Since then, Trump has tried to make Harvard capitulate to his demands by threatening to harm the institution financially.
Thankfully, Harvard is pushing back.
Right now, it feels like Harvard is the only institution willing to stand up to Trump. Companies across the nation have folded to the president’s demands to end diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Columbia University, another Ivy League institution, has already complied with the Trump administration’s demands for changes. This hasn’t stopped Trump from continuing to go after Columbia, serving as proof that our president will stop at nothing until he has his way.
On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, alleging that the university has “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.”
In the letter, administration officials demanded that the university discontinue DEI initiatives, hire faculty and admit students who represented more diverse viewpoints and reform how the university is governed. The letter also said the university must deal with alleged antisemitism on campus by auditing several departments and severing ties with student groups dedicated to Palestinian rights.
Garber sent a letter on April 14 saying Harvard would refuse to comply with the demands, “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” Later that day, the Trump administration announced that it would freeze $2.2 billion in federal funding to the university.
A few days later, Harvard sued Trump’s administration over the decision.
Now it’s time for the battle between one of America’s top universities and its president to play out in the courts. On top of the funding freeze lawsuit, Harvard sued the Trump administration over the attempt to prevent the school from enrolling international students. A judge has barred the move from taking effect. On May 29, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs will consider extending the hold.
It’s shameful that the president is using antisemitism as a reason to micromanage the university; it’s something that anyone with a sense can see through. The reality is that Harvard and other storied institutions represent exactly what Trump hates: educated people who know how to exercise their rights. It’s vital to democracy that Harvard fight this overreach in the courts.
Trump hasn’t exactly been triumphant in the legal proceedings against him to this point. The New York Times reports that as of May 28, at least 180 rulings have paused Trump’s efforts to overhaul the country.
With these lawsuits, Harvard joins a legion of plaintiffs taking the Trump administration to court.
Hopefully, it means that the country will continue to operate despite this president’s attempts to destroy it. I also hope that other universities targeted by this administration take note and pursue legal action.
In an interview with NPR, Harvard’s president highlighted that this funding for universities like his is given because the government wants to learn something. It is not money to be given and taken away because the government is mad at you.
“The right question is, is this the most effective use of federal funding?” Garber said. “Do you really want to cut back on research dollars? I’m less concerned about whether it goes to a trade school or if it goes to some other project, like working on highways. The real question is, how much value does the federal government get from its expenditures on research?”
I think funding Harvard and other institutions, regardless of what beliefs students hold, is what separates the United States from other countries.
If we are to continue being a country of excellence, we must support academia through funding. And if we are going to survive the Trump administration, we need institutions like Harvard to maintain their commitment to education.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter:@sara__pequeno
