Latest news with #HelenCoster
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US academic leaders unite against Trump's higher education policies
By Helen Coster NEW YORK (Reuters) -Over 100 university, college and scholarly society presidents published a joint statement on Tuesday opposing the Trump administration's treatment of higher education institutions, coming together to speak out after Harvard University said the administration was threatening its independence. The statement, signed by presidents from such institutions as Princeton, Brown, the University of Hawaii and Connecticut State Community College, criticized what it described as "the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education." "We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight," the statement said. "However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses." The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the statement. Tuesday's joint statement is the latest show of resistance from U.S. higher education leaders as the Trump administration seeks to leverage its financial heft to overhaul academia. On April 14 Harvard rejected numerous demands from the administration, which is seeking oversight of Harvard's student body, faculty and curriculum in an apparent effort to curb what it perceives as the university's liberal bias. Soon after, the administration announced it was freezing $2.3 billion in federal funding to the school. According to White House spokesperson Harrison Fields' statement at that time, Trump wants to ensure taxpayer dollars do not support racial discrimination or racially motivated violence. The administration also threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status and take away its ability to enroll foreign students. On Monday Harvard sued the Trump administration to try to force it to end its orders freezing funds and withdraw demands it has made, accusing the federal government of trying to "overhaul Harvard's governance, control Harvard's faculty hiring and dictate what faculty may teach Harvard students" for ideological reasons. Harvard said in its suit that government attempts to "coerce and control" the university violated the Constitution's protections for speech. It also accused the government of failing to follow procedures set out under federal civil rights laws. Since his January inauguration, Republican President Donald Trump has cracked down on top U.S. universities, saying they mishandled last year's pro-Palestinian protests and allowed antisemitism to fester on campus. His administration has also targeted universities for other issues such as transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and has threatened to withhold federal funding over these issues. Columbia University was an early target but in recent weeks, the administration has focused on Harvard. On April 15 over 60 past and present college and university presidents signed an open letter saying they "strongly support" Harvard President Alan Garber's rejection of the administration's demands.
Reuters
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump vs the Universities
The Trump administration says at least 60 schools have violated Title VI for allowing antisemitism to flourish on campus. Critics see this effort as a way for the White House to clamp down on freedom of speech, and to punish left-leaning institutions. On this weekend episode, our reporters Helen Coster and Julia Harte unpack the fight over higher education in America. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here, opens new tab. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here, opens new tab. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit opens new tab to opt out of targeted advertising. Further Reading These universities are in Trump's crosshairs. Many don't know why., opens new tab
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
These universities are in Trump's crosshairs. Many don't know why.
By Helen Coster and Julia Harte NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Muhlenberg College learned in January 2024 - as pro-Palestinian protests were sweeping campuses across the United States - that it was under investigation for discriminating against Jewish students, the small liberal arts institution in Pennsylvania took action. The college fired a tenured professor who had been accused of targeting Jewish students, and the U.S. Education Department, satisfied with Muhlenberg's response to complaints of antisemitism on campus, ended its investigation. So Muhlenberg's inclusion on a list of 60 universities and colleges under investigation by the Education Department for antisemitism was "not anticipated," Todd Lineburger, a spokesperson for Muhlenberg, said. "To our knowledge, Muhlenberg is not on the DOE list of institutions with open investigations," Lineburger said. "We have received no further information from the Department of Education and continue our robust efforts to remain fully compliant with all laws and regulations." The March 10 letter to 60 institutions, signed by the Education Department's acting civil rights chief Craig Trainor, focused on antisemitic activity following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. It warned that Donald Trump's administration would not tolerate antisemitic acts - and institutions that did risked losing federal government funding. Nearly a third – 19 in total – of the academic institutions under investigation for antisemitism by the Trump administration had already resolved earlier complaints or had never been subject to such complaints at all, according to 31 colleges' responses to Reuters queries and an analysis of publicly available records maintained by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. The seemingly haphazard composition of the list – and the potentially enormous financial implications – raised immediate concerns in the academic community. "I certainly was hearing confusion from campus leaders whose institutions were named," said Lynn Pasquerella, president of the advocacy group American Association of Colleges and Universities. "That's part of the distress that they're experiencing, because they don't even know the nature and extent of the allegations against them." A spokesperson from the Education Department did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. In her announcement that warnings had been issued to the colleges, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Jewish students at "elite U.S. campuses" were in fear of their safety. She went on: 'U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws.' The Reuters analysis found at least 15 of the 60 universities on the education department's list - including Muhlenberg - had already resolved antisemitism complaints. Four universities - including American University in Washington - had no record of a recent discrimination complaint at all. Another five universities were under investigation for discrimination against Muslim, Arab and pro-Palestinian students and faculty as well as Jewish groups. Three more institutions were the subject of complaints about discrimination against pro-Palestinian students, but not antisemitism, which was the sole focus of the March 10 letter. IVY LEAGUE AND STATE INSTITUTIONS The Trump administration's list also departed from the 'Campus Antisemitism Report Card' of the Anti-Defamation League, an organization founded to fight antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. Seven of the universities on the Education Department's list – including Muhlenberg – received B grades or 'better than most' from the ADL. Meanwhile, the list left out seven universities receiving F grades from the ADL, including Haverford College, Scripps College, and Loyola University. Five other institutions that received an "F" grade – including University of California, Santa Barbara; Pomona College and Portland State University – were included on the list. Other universities that had drawn severe criticism from Jewish groups for their handling of pro-Palestinian protests, such as University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) were excluded. The Department database includes three complaints against UCLA. The letters marked an expansion of the administration's war against the institutions Trump has disparaged as 'infested with radicalism.' Trainor, the Education Department official who signed them, was a former attorney for the Trump policy-promoting America First Institute. The notices spanned a cross-section of higher education institutions: Ivy League institutions like Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton as well as state universities in California, Florida, Ohio, and New York. They were issued three days after the Trump administration canceled grants and contracts worth about $400 million to Columbia University, the epicenter of the pro-Palestinian campus protests. It was also unclear how the Trump administration would conduct its investigation with current staffing constraints, three former attorneys with the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights told Reuters. The day after it sent the letter to 60 universities, the Trump administration closed seven of the 12 regional offices of the OCR that investigate antisemitism and other discrimination complaints. Two attorneys who lost their jobs as a result of those cuts, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that they were not involved in creating the list and did not know how it was created. 'We're really watching an attack on higher education under the guise of fighting antisemitism, but I cannot emphasize enough how much it will not actually protect Jewish students,' said Erin Beiner, director of the student wing of J Street, a liberal Jewish-American lobbying group. WIDE-RANGING COMPLAINTS The discrimination complaints against the institutions cover a wide range of events, according to the Education Department database. Drexel University in Philadelphia was censured for not pursuing tougher disciplinary measures when a vocally pro-Israeli Jewish student's dorm room was set on fire three days after the Hamas attacks. No one was hurt in the attack, and the Education Department closed the investigation after Drexel bolstered dorm security, arranged implicit bias training sessions for dorm staff, and issued university-wide reminders of safety and support resources. At Florida's University of Tampa, the father of a student suspended for scuffling with another student over a balloon said the school was 'guilty of anti-Semitism' for not believing his son's claim that the other student had used an antisemitic slur. The only complaint against Pomona College in California was filed by Palestine Legal, an advocacy group that said the administration had allowed police to violently quash pro-Palestinian protests, and by requiring those protestors to remove their masks, exposed protesters to the risk that their identities and personal information could be publicly released. Neither Drexel, the University of Tampa, nor Pomona responded to inquiries from Reuters about the complaints. Billions of dollars of federal grants and contracts are at stake if the Education Department determines that the universities have allowed discrimination. The Trump administration could withhold funds to pressure universities to change their disciplinary policies, admissions practices, and even the way certain academic departments are managed. It has levied all of these demands against Columbia, which meted out new punishments against students who were involved in last year's protests, and later acquiesced to several demands. Several schools told Reuters they would do whatever it takes to retain federal government funding. 'Both our president and our board have said we're not going to take any risks for loss of research funding. We're just not,' said Paul Allvin, vice president and global brand manager for George Mason University in Virginia. The Education Department notified George Mason of an antisemitism complaint in December 2023. The university sent a lengthy account of its response to the complaint, and the department requested no further information. A spokesperson for American University said the school would 'comply with any communications or requests from OCR.' The Education Department's databases have no record of a recent antisemitism complaint against or investigation into American University. Some interventions on behalf of the targeted schools appeared to get immediate results. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said he called the White House the morning after the state university received its letter to explain that conflict on its campus during Israel's war in Gaza 'paled in comparison' to other universities. 'They assured me the University of Hawai'i is not on the chopping block for antisemitism,' the governor said in a statement to Reuters. Other schools struck a more defiant tone when asked how the school would react if the Trump administration withheld funding. 'There is no lawful basis to withdraw federal funding,' said a spokesperson for Santa Monica College, pointing out that the letter 'did not identify any violations by SMC or ask for a response.'
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Washington Post opinion head leaves paper as section shifts focus
By Helen Coster NEW YORK (Reuters) - Washington Post editorial page editor David Shipley is leaving the paper as its opinion section shifts its focus to supporting and defending the topics of personal liberties and free markets, owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wrote in a memo to staff on Wednesday. The section will cover other topics too, but will not publish viewpoints that oppose those two pillars, Bezos wrote. Shipley declined Bezos' offer to stay on, Bezos wrote. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The move – which reflects the Post's narrowing of focus from a general-interest opinion section that reflected a wide swath of views – follows the paper's decision in October to stop endorsing presidential candidates, a practice it had employed for 36 years. That decision, which Bezos defended in an October 28 essay, led to condemnation from Post columnists and others. In his memo to staff on Wednesday, Bezos framed the shift in both ideological and practical terms, writing that these viewpoints are underserved in the market. 'I am of America and for America, and proud to be so,' Bezos wrote. 'Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America's success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.' Days before the Post declined to endorse a presidential candidate in October, Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, blocked his newspaper from publishing a planned endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which led the paper's editorials editor to resign. The media industry is navigating a challenging climate as it covers the second presidency of Republican Donald Trump, who has stepped up his legal threats against news outlets. The Washington Post's opinion section, like that of newspapers generally, is separate from its news-gathering division, which focuses on fact-based reporting.
