Joint Task Force on anti-Semitism accuses Harvard of Civil Rights Act violation
June 30 (UPI) -- The Trump administration on Monday threatened more funding cuts to Harvard University after a federal task force claimed the Ivy League school was in "violent violation" of the Civil Rights Act over a perceived failure to protect Jewish students.
"Harvard holds the regrettable distinction of being among the most prominent and visible breeding ground for race discrimination," read the letter in part to University President Alan Garber from the federal government's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.
The letter, signed by four federal officials from the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, the U.S. General Services Administration, and Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon, cited the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling on Harvard's admission practices.
It said that its Title VI investigation via the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin -- concluded that Harvard allegedly failed to suppress anti-Semitism on its Boston-based campus.
"That legacy of discrimination persists with Harvard's continued anti-Semitism," it stated, adding that any institution refusing to "meet its duties under federal law may not receive a wide range of federal privileges."
The task force listed in its examples a series of allegations that it says Harvard "did not dispute our findings of fact, nor could it."
It indicated a quarter of Harvard's Jewish students felt unsafe, saw negative bias and reported alleged assaults during campus demonstrations that federal officials claimed violated university policy, among a number of other issues.
In their letter, it went on to express how the Holocaust engulfed Europe "due to the '[d]isbelief, incredulity, and denial on the part of both victims and onlookers' which 'worked to the advantage of those who wanted to eradicate the Jews.'"
"Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard's relationship with the federal government," the letter continued. "Harvard may of course continue to operate free of federal privileges, and perhaps such an opportunity will spur a commitment to excellence that will help Harvard thrive once again."
On Monday, the university pointed to "substantive, proactive steps" officials took to address "the root causes of antisemitism" on campus, saying Harvard is "far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government's findings."
"In responding to the government's investigation, Harvard not only shared its comprehensive and retrospective Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israeli Bias Report but also outlined the ways that it has strengthened policies, disciplined those who violate them, encouraged civil discourse, and promoted open, respectful dialogue," a university spokesman told The Hill in a statement.
Harvard previously refused to give in to the administration's demands to end its diversity, equity, inclusion and other policies, leading to a lawsuit over a pause in more than $3 billion in federal funds and Trump's order to rid Harvard's long-existing right to enroll foreign students.
This month, the president in a social media post said a deal with Harvard could arrive but offered no other detail and has not spoken of it since.
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