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CNN
10-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Websites serving Harvard undergraduate minority students, LGBTQ students and women taken down, The Crimson reports
Websites for Harvard College centers serving minority and LGBTQ students and women vanished Wednesday, The Harvard Crimson reported, marking the continued unraveling of diversity initiatives at the nation's most prestigious university as it faces fresh pressure from the Trump administration. Websites for the Harvard College Women's Center, the Office for BGLTQ Student Life and the Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations now redirect to a page for an Office of Culture and Community, the student newspaper reported. That office – which promotes '(e)xposure to and learning from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences,' its site states – was announced internally just Wednesday as a replacement for the soon-to-close diversity office for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, which encompasses Harvard College, the undergraduate school and university's PhD programs. The White House welcomed the development, viewing it as a goodwill gesture one official described Thursday as 'good news.' Also Wednesday, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services notified the New England Commission of Higher Education that Harvard is 'in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore may fail to meet the standards for accreditation set by the Commission,' according to a joint statement. That statement followed a June 30 finding by the Trump administration's Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism that Harvard was in 'violent violation' of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal funding. The new Office of Culture and Community is part of an effort to 'break down silos, ensuring all members of our community are connected, supported, and empowered,' Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi Hoekstra told colleagues Wednesday in a memo to which a university spokesperson directed CNN for information about the disappearance of the Harvard College website. As for its accreditation, Harvard 'continues to comply with the New England Commission of Higher Education's Standards for Accreditation, maintaining its accreditation uninterrupted since its initial review in 1929,' the spokesperson said Thursday in a statement. 'Antisemitism is a serious problem and no matter the context, it is unacceptable,' the statement said, adding the university 'has made significant strides to combat bigotry, hate and bias.' The moves Wednesday come amid a monthslong fight between Harvard and the Trump administration, which has sought to coerce the school to make changes that adhere to its more conservative ideology and less than a month ago suggested a deal was in sight. Other US universities have faced similar pressure from the White House and met at least some of its demands. At Harvard, the White House since April has frozen billions of federal dollars and threatened to yank more if Harvard does not comply, accusing the university in part of failing to adequately combat antisemitism and curb diversity practices – designed to advance racial, gender, class and other representation in public spaces – it decries as 'illegal and immoral discrimination.' Harvard in April announced it would rename its central diversity office from the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging to the Office of Community and Campus Life. It also has acknowledged antisemitism is an issue, and two school task forces in late April released a pair of internal reports – one on its handling of antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, and the other of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. Its antisemitism task force, among other proposed changes, recommended updating the admissions process to focus on the need to work alongside people of differing viewpoints and be prepared to accept disagreements. Harvard should also 'become a hub for antisemitism research' and dedicate a faculty member to its study, the task force said. 'We remain committed to ensuring members of our Jewish and Israeli community are embraced, respected, and can thrive at Harvard,' its spokesperson added Thursday. Meantime, Harvard continues to battle the Trump administration in federal court on two fronts: In one, it seeks to claw back the frozen federal funds, with a hearing set for July 21; in the other, a judge has indefinitely blocked the White House's effort to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll international students, who make up about a quarter of its enrollment. CNN's Andy Rose and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
With accreditation threat, student visa subpoenas, Trump administration elevates fight against Harvard
The moves Wednesday are just the latest Harvard, meanwhile, has said that the Trump administration's actions are blatantly unlawful, and that it's Advertisement 'What we're seeing is the administration is persistent, and it's not backing down,' said Brendan Cantwell, a professor of education at Michigan State University. 'Harvard initially put up some resistance, sued the administration, and the administration is simply doubling down on its accusations and its insistence that it has the right to reach into the university and control the way the university does things in exchange for access to federal resources.' Advertisement Last week, the White House asserted Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin — by arguing the university 'has been in some cases deliberately indifferent, and in others has been a willful participant in anti-Semitic harassment of Jewish students, faculty, and staff.' Education Secretary Linda McMahon. Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post The government gave Harvard 10 days to follow the law, though did not specify how the university could come into compliance, and threatened to cancel all of its federal funding. The notice detailing its findings relied heavily on Harvard's own report on antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, which the university released in April. The Trump administration is now also using those findings to suggest Harvard is not complying with accreditation standards set by the New England Commission of Higher Education. If those standards were to be revoked, Harvard students could lose access to federal financial aid. 'The Department of Education expects the New England Commission of Higher Education to enforce its policies and practices, and to keep the Department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards,' US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. In a statement, a Harvard spokesperson said the university 'has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community,' and that as part of the government's investigation, it shared its antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias report as well as recent reforms it has made on campus. Advertisement 'Harvard is far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government's findings,' the statement read. 'Harvard continues to comply with the New England Commission of Higher Education's Standards for Accreditation, maintaining its accreditation uninterrupted since its initial review in 1929.' Accreditors such as the New England Commission of Higher Education are independent nonprofits that are not directly run by the federal government, but do have to be recognized by the US Secretary of Education. The threat to Harvard's accreditation is one of the most damaging tactics Trump has used so far to punish the university by threatening the institution's very ability to function, said Cantwell, the Michigan State professor. Harvard University's Commencement Ceremony in May. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff 'Without seizing Harvard's wealth directly, it's hard to really challenge it in some ways because its cultural and political power is deep and embedded in American society, and people ... still look at Harvard as a prestigious place even if Trump pulls back federal funding for research grants,' Cantwell said. 'This is one of the very few levers that actually gets at the institution's legitimacy.' The move also sent a message to accrediting agencies themselves that 'if they want to remain capable of granting and having the authority to make accreditation determinations, they've got to get on board with Trump's program,' Cantwell said. On its website, the New England Commission of Higher Education wrote it is aware of the Trump administration's assertion that Harvard violated civil rights law. It said the government cannot direct the commission to revoke accreditation and has a process to consider and review 'significant accreditation-related information.' Advertisement Because accreditors have their own lengthy processes to determine whether an institution has broken its rules, it's unlikely Harvard will face consequences in the near-term, said Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, who analyzes higher education policy for New America, a D.C. think tank. 'Harvard is not doing well overall, in terms of the policy-battering that the administration is delivering right now. But in terms of their actual accreditation being at risk, it's very minimal,' Bauer-Wolf said. 'This is a process that would take years for to figure out, not weeks or a matter of months, as the Trump administration seems to be pushing for here.' Trump during the 2024 campaign repeatedly called the accreditation process his and he has already deployed it once, the government asserted that the university violated civil rights law, and later notified its accreditor, the Middle States Commission, that it may no longer comply with its accreditation standards. That prompted the commission to notify Columbia's president its accreditation status 'may be in jeopardy.' Protesters in April encouraged Harvard to fight back against White House demands to overhaul admissions, hiring and student discipline procedures. Erin Clark/Globe Staff Lawyers who spoke to the Globe suggested last week said that the Trump administration has taken a freewheeling approach to slashing federal funding at universities, and that the Title VI investigation findings could be used to bolster the administration's position in negotiations or court fights. Hours after the administration released its findings last week, lawyers for Harvard said in court filings that the government was using the investigation to justify cuts it had already made. They argued that the government 'deliberately chose to ignore' the process under Title VI to cancel federal funding 'in its rush to inflict pain and punishment upon Harvard,' and that a judge should grant summary judgement to Harvard. Lawyers will return for a court hearing on July 21. Advertisement In Harvard's other case challenging the Trump administration's efforts to ban the university from hosting international students, a federal judge last month granted preliminary injunctions blocking the government's efforts. But the Trump administration's decision to subpoena Harvard for information related to student visas shows that it continues to focus on its enrollment of international students. 'We tried to do things the easy way with Harvard. Now, through their refusal to cooperate, we have to do things the hard way,' assistant DHS secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. ' Harvard, like other universities, has allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus.' A Harvard spokesperson said Wednesday that 'Harvard is committed to following the law, and while the government's subpoenas are unwarranted, the university will continue to cooperate with lawful requests and obligations.' Aidan Ryan can be reached at
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin threatens Harvard's accreditation over antisemitism response
** This article has been updated as of July 9, 2025, at 12:42 p.m. to include a comment from a Harvard spokesperson. ** The Trump administration is threatening Harvard University's accreditation due to its failure to respond to campus antisemitism, according to a Wednesday announcement. The U.S. Department of Education's office of postsecondary education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' office for Civil Rights notified the New England Commission of Higher Education that Harvard is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws, which could result in the institution failing to meet accreditation standards. A Harvard spokesperson said the institution shared its report on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias with the administration and outlined ways it has strengthened policies, disciplined those who violate them, encouraged civil discourse and promoted open, respectful dialogue. 'Harvard is far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government's findings. Harvard continues to comply with the New England Commission of Higher Education's Standards for Accreditation, maintaining its accreditation uninterrupted since its initial review in 1929,' the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the university believes antisemitism is a 'serious problem' and is 'unacceptable' and has taken strides to combat bigotry, hate and bias. 'We are not alone in confronting this challenge and recognize that this work is ongoing. We remain committed to ensuring members of our Jewish and Israeli community are embraced, respected, and can thrive at Harvard,' the spokesperson said. Schools that lose accreditation — a higher education quality measure assessed by independent agencies — risk losing access to federal financial aid for students, and can have transfer credits and even degrees rejected by other institutions. Harvard's last comprehensive evaluation took place in Fall 2017 and the accreditation association continued the university's accreditation on April 19, 2018. The university's interim fifth-year report was submitted for consideration in August 2022 and has been accepted. The institution's next evaluation is scheduled for Fall 2027. The notification comes after the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism informed the university on June 30 that it was in 'violent violation' of Title VI, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin, over campus antisemitism. As a result, the Trump administration threatened to cut all funding from Harvard University if it didn't 'institute adequate changes immediately' after finding that the university failed to protect Jewish students from harassment. Harvard later claimed in court documents that the federal government didn't conduct a 'meaningful investigation' of campus antisemitism; instead, it mostly just pointed to the university's report on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias. Read more: Trump admin threatens to cut all Harvard's funding over 'violent violation' 'Accrediting bodies play a significant role in preserving academic integrity and a campus culture conducive to truth-seeking and learning. Part of that is ensuring students are safe on campus and abiding by federal laws that guarantee educational opportunities to all students,' Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education, said in a statement. 'By allowing anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers. The Department of Education expects the New England Commission of Higher Education to enforce its policies and practices, and to keep the Department fully informed of its efforts to ensure that Harvard is in compliance with federal law and accreditor standards.' The department also notified the accrediting body of Columbia University in June over similar concerns and federal violations. 'When an institution—no matter how prestigious—abandons its mission and fails to protect its students, it forfeits the legitimacy that accreditation is designed to uphold,' Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Health and Human Services Secretary, said in a statement. 'HHS and the Department of Education will actively hold Harvard accountable through sustained oversight until it restores public trust and ensures a campus free of discrimination.' Trump admin renews demand for Harvard foreign student info: 'We tried to do things the easy way' Here are 5 of the biggest effects on higher ed in the 'Big Beautiful Bill' 'A day of loss': Boston University to lay off 120 people citing federal funding impacts Trump's antisemitism probe mostly relies on Harvard's own report, Harvard claims Judge extends restraining order in MIT, universities' lawsuit against DOD Read the original article on MassLive.
