I wish there were more universities standing up to this bald, partisan agenda, and ever so glad to see Harvard University taking a stand and willing to take a hit for it by the Trump administration. And indeed, it has to the tune of $2 Billion, no less. What is the cost of freedom—the freedom to teach, learn, and conduct research—a question that Harvard's leadership is implicitly answering?
The Trump administration is holding universities responsible for broader cultural shifts that extend far beyond the scope of any single institution, including Harvard. These shifts challenge the outdated notion that identities—whether racial, ethnic, or gender-based—as fixed. In truth, identity is inherently fluid, continually shaped by both political and apolitical forces, by tradition and the evolving demands of the modern world. Attempting to confine such complexity within neatly labeled boxes to appease those in power is not only misguided—it’s ultimately a futile endeavor.
As Chicana feminists, beginning with the late Gloria Anzaldúa, have long argued, the future of culture is hybridity. Its power extends far beyond the walls of the academy into the streets of Calcutta, the highways of the Americas, the songs of the diaspora, and the quiet rebellions of everyday life. It moves like water—resisting containment, carving new paths, refusing to be still. To reduce it to something static is to deny its essence, for culture lives not in boxes, but in motion, in memory, and in the ever-shifting dance of who we are becoming.
Our colleges and universities are those sanctuaries within which these processes are researched and discussed—spaces where the fluidity of culture is not only acknowledged but actively engaged. In a world increasingly polarized by rigid ideologies and political agendas, universities provide the intellectual freedom and critical distance necessary to explore the complexities of identity, belonging, and transformation. They are among the few places where competing truths can be interrogated, where the past is held up to the light of the present, and where visions for more inclusive futures can be imagined and debated.
As Chicana feminists have long reminded us, hybridity is not a flaw in culture but its future—an ever-expanding, layered process of becoming that defies singular definitions. Universities play a crucial role in cultivating this vision by nurturing curiosity, protecting dissent, and making room for voices that have historically been silenced or ignored. To weaken these institutions under the guise of control or conformity is to endanger one of the last bastions where knowledge is pursued both for its own sake and in pursuit of a more just, humane, and dynamic world.
The university’s lawyers argued that the Trump administration's demands encroach on long-established university freedoms upheld by the Supreme Court. In their response, they emphasized that the university would not compromise its independence or forfeit its constitutional rights, asserting that neither Harvard nor any other private institution should permit itself to be overtaken by the federal government.
Today is a proud day for Harvard University and our nation's history. What is the price of freedom? It's priceless. Harvard is letting us know.
-Angela Valenzuela
The university said it would not comply with the list of demands that included changes to code of student and faculty conduct.
By Ali Bianco
04/14/2025 03:09 PM EDT
Updated: 04/14/2025 09:33 PM EDT
A Trump administration task force announced Monday that it would block Harvard University from receiving $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts after the Ivy League school defied demands to adopt new policies on student and faculty conduct and admissions.
The Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said it was taking the measure because Harvard and other universities had not taken adequate steps to address the harassment of Jewish students in recent years.
“It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support,” it said in a statement that came hours after Harvard had defiantly said it would not bow to administration pressure.
Harvard President Alan M. Garber said the unprecedented demands, which include requirements to change disciplinary policies to address antisemitic acts during last year’s protests over the Israel-Hamas war, are unnecessary and infringe on free speech rights.
“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,” Garber wrote in the message to the campus community.
Harvard’s response, in the face of a threat of losing billions in federal grants, represented a rare show of resistance to efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to punish major institutions and law firms he views as hostile.
The loss of federal funding is a significant blow to Harvard and affiliated institutions, such as Mass General Brigham and Boston Children’s Hospital. Other schools, including Columbia University, have opted to accept administration demands to avoid the cuts.
Institutions across the country are facing probes focusing on diversity initiatives and allegations of antisemitism on campus. Trump has particularly singled out Ivy League schools that he has denounced as left-leaning and elitist. The administration has said it is also either reviewing or pausing grants to Brown, Princeton, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania.
Princeton President Chris Eisgruber, like the leader of Harvard, has said he would resist administration demands.
Former Harvard President Larry Summers told a group of students and alumni last week that the school is positioned to resist because of its nearly $52 billion endowment. “With all of those assets — If Harvard can’t resist, who can?” he said.
The administration sent an updated list of demands Friday to Harvard that would require the university to restructure its governance, eliminate diversity as a consideration in admissions, institute new disciplinary measures for student protesters, and decertify pro-Palestinian student groups. Garber said the school had already adopted measures to address antisemitism and other misconduct that occurred during raucous protests over the war in Gaza.
“The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government,” he said. “It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge.”
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement that the administration was seeking to end “unchecked” antisemitism and that Harvard’s response puts its federal funding in jeopardy.
“Harvard or any institution that wishes to violate Title VI is, by law, not eligible for federal funding,” Fields said.
The letter the administration sent Friday — from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services and General Services Administration — accused Harvard of failing to “live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.”
Harvard’s response to the administration defended the university’s commitment to fighting antisemitism on campus, and said the administration disregards” the changes already made by the university. The university’s lawyers said the demands “invade university freedoms” long recognized by the Supreme Court.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the lawyers wrote in response. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
Bianca Quilantan contributed to this report.
Today is a proud day for Harvard University and our nation's history. What is the price of freedom? It's priceless. Harvard is letting us know.
-Angela Valenzuela
 |
| Harvard’s response represents a rare show of resistance to efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to punish major institutions and law firms he views as hostile. | Scott Eisen/Getty Images |
The university said it would not comply with the list of demands that included changes to code of student and faculty conduct.
By Ali Bianco
04/14/2025 03:09 PM EDT
Updated: 04/14/2025 09:33 PM EDT
A Trump administration task force announced Monday that it would block Harvard University from receiving $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts after the Ivy League school defied demands to adopt new policies on student and faculty conduct and admissions.
The Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism said it was taking the measure because Harvard and other universities had not taken adequate steps to address the harassment of Jewish students in recent years.
“It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support,” it said in a statement that came hours after Harvard had defiantly said it would not bow to administration pressure.
Harvard President Alan M. Garber said the unprecedented demands, which include requirements to change disciplinary policies to address antisemitic acts during last year’s protests over the Israel-Hamas war, are unnecessary and infringe on free speech rights.
“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,” Garber wrote in the message to the campus community.
Harvard’s response, in the face of a threat of losing billions in federal grants, represented a rare show of resistance to efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to punish major institutions and law firms he views as hostile.
The loss of federal funding is a significant blow to Harvard and affiliated institutions, such as Mass General Brigham and Boston Children’s Hospital. Other schools, including Columbia University, have opted to accept administration demands to avoid the cuts.
Institutions across the country are facing probes focusing on diversity initiatives and allegations of antisemitism on campus. Trump has particularly singled out Ivy League schools that he has denounced as left-leaning and elitist. The administration has said it is also either reviewing or pausing grants to Brown, Princeton, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania.
Princeton President Chris Eisgruber, like the leader of Harvard, has said he would resist administration demands.
Former Harvard President Larry Summers told a group of students and alumni last week that the school is positioned to resist because of its nearly $52 billion endowment. “With all of those assets — If Harvard can’t resist, who can?” he said.
The administration sent an updated list of demands Friday to Harvard that would require the university to restructure its governance, eliminate diversity as a consideration in admissions, institute new disciplinary measures for student protesters, and decertify pro-Palestinian student groups. Garber said the school had already adopted measures to address antisemitism and other misconduct that occurred during raucous protests over the war in Gaza.
“The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government,” he said. “It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge.”
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement that the administration was seeking to end “unchecked” antisemitism and that Harvard’s response puts its federal funding in jeopardy.
“Harvard or any institution that wishes to violate Title VI is, by law, not eligible for federal funding,” Fields said.
The letter the administration sent Friday — from the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services and General Services Administration — accused Harvard of failing to “live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.”
Harvard’s response to the administration defended the university’s commitment to fighting antisemitism on campus, and said the administration disregards” the changes already made by the university. The university’s lawyers said the demands “invade university freedoms” long recognized by the Supreme Court.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the lawyers wrote in response. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
Bianca Quilantan contributed to this report.
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