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

The US government is reviewing federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard University, which has been strongly opposed by Harvard professors.

According to a report on the 12th, the Harvard Faculty 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 school. This review is part of the Trump administration's action to combat 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.

Andrew Manuel Crespo, a professor at Harvard Law School, issued a statement saying that the essence of the government's policy is to suppress universities and teachers from expressing views different from Trump's and conducting relevant teaching and research. "Harvard teachers have the constitutional rights 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 Denise 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. Denise Simmons said: "Harvard not only has the resources to withstand pressure but also has a moral responsibility."

According to a report by US media 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 currently have more than $10 billion in federal funds withdrawn, suspended, or under review. Trump has vowed to take action against universities he sees as hotbeds of liberalism.

The leadership of many US universities is under great pressure. On March 28, Katrina Armstrong, the interim president of Columbia University, 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 inside and outside the school.