Harvard Professors Oppose US Government's Review of Federal Contracts and Grants

The US government is reviewing the federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard University, which has sparked strong opposition from Harvard professors.

According to a report on the 12th, the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the national branch of this academic organization filed a lawsuit in the Boston Federal Court on April 10 to prevent the government from reviewing about $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to the university. This review is part of the Trump administration's campaign against anti - Semitism on college campuses.

The two groups are seeking a temporary restraining order from the court to prevent the Trump administration from cutting funds. The lawsuit states: "Like all American universities, Harvard relies on federal funds for academic research. Such threats are like a life - or - death 'gun' for a university. They have also withheld billions of dollars in congressional appropriations, which are crucial for ensuring that the US university system remains globally leading in scientific, medical, and technological research."

The Trump administration claims that many US universities are too lax on the issue of anti - Semitism. In a recent letter to Harvard, it said that Harvard "has fundamentally failed to protect American students and faculty from anti - Semitic violence." In response, Harvard President Alan Garber said that the school has "made considerable efforts" in the past 15 months to address the issue of anti - Semitism and added that there is still much work to be done.

Harvard Law School professor Andrew Manuel Crespo issued a statement saying that the essence of the government's policy is to suppress universities and teachers from expressing views that differ from Trump's and conducting related teaching and research. "Harvard's faculty members have the constitutional rights to freedom of speech, teaching, and research and should not worry that the government will cancel funding due to differences in views."

On the afternoon of April 12, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Harvard is located, hundreds of people, including university students, professors, and Cambridge Mayor Dennis Simmons, protested against the Trump administration's threat to cut Harvard's funding and called on Harvard to take the lead in opposing the government's crackdown on higher education. Dennis Simmons said: "Harvard not only has the resources to withstand the pressure but also has a moral responsibility."

According to a report by a US media outlet on the 9th, an official of the Trump administration said that the government has frozen more than $1 billion in federal funds for Cornell University and $790 million for Northwestern University. Well - known institutions including Columbia University, Princeton University, Brown University, and the University of Pennsylvania have had more than $10 billion in federal funds withdrawn, suspended, or are currently under review. Trump has vowed to take action against universities that he considers to be hotbeds of liberalism.

The leadership of many US universities is under great pressure. On March 28, Columbia University's interim President Katrina Armstrong resigned just one week after agreeing to change several policies to meet the requirements of the Trump administration because she was unable to coordinate the voices of the academic community both inside and outside the school.