Alums urge Harvard to resist compromise with Trump as reports of deal emerge

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Harvard alumni, through Crimson Courage, whose mission is to stand up for academic freedom, sent an open letter to Harvard administrators on Monday morning calling for the institution to resist caving into the federal government.
'We cannot stand for 'veritas' if we refuse to stand up for truth when the moment demands it or if we dilute our values because it is expedient,' said the community of Harvard alumni.
The letter comes after reports that the Trump administration and Harvard were circling toward a deal after months of challenges.
President Donald Trump boasted on Friday of a 'mindbogglingly HISTORIC' deal with Harvard University.
In April, the Trump administration demanded an overhaul of Harvard's leadership structure, admissions and hiring. If the university didn't comply, it risked losing $9 billion in funding, the federal government said.
The actions were taken in the name of antisemitism, as the Trump administration claimed Harvard failed to protect Jewish students, particularly in the wake of the war in Gaza.
Harvard rejected the administration's demands and set the stage for a historic showdown, leading to two lawsuits — one of which centered on Harvard's ability to enroll international students. It also led to a series of other funding cuts and cuts to research funding.
The university has so far largely prevailed in court in lawsuits against the Trump administration, with a federal judge granting a preliminary injunction on Friday, allowing Harvard University's international students to continue attending school until the legality of the case is decided.
Crimson Courage sent the letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, the Harvard Alumni Association and the Deans of all 12 Harvard schools, according to the organization.
The organization pointed to President Garber's speech on alumni day on June 6, where he said that no government should 'dictate what we teach, who we admit and hire, and which areas of study of inquiry they can pursue.'
The Harvard alumni said that academic freedom 'cannot be negotiated away nor yield to political pressure and coercion.'
'Harvard has benefited from our early embrace of academic freedom as seen in its world-class research as well as its graduates' civic and business leadership across the world. Standing strong is not merely an operational exercise: it is a moral imperative,' Crimson Courage said.
'The world is watching and needs Harvard's leadership and courage now,' the organization said.
Crimson Courage said Harvard's status as a global leader in higher education would be 'decimated' if Harvard compromised on its ideals.
'We cannot stand for 'veritas' if we refuse to stand up for truth when the moment demands it or if we dilute our values because it is expedient,' the organization said.
In its first lawsuit against the Trump administration, Harvard garnered the support of 12,000 alumni, which emanated from Crimson Courage's organizing.
Other individuals and groups also expressed their support through amicus briefs, including two dozen universities, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Council on Education, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — also known as FIRE — and Columbia Alumni for Academic Freedom.
'We have your back and we trust that you have our backs as well,' Crimson Courage said.
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Read the original article on MassLive.