Bradley Fitzgerald

Staff Writer

Harvard University has been a staple of the American psyche for centuries. It is not only our nation’s first university but is a symbol of the excellence of an American education.

The ceiling came crashing down, however, on April 15 when the Trump administration announced frozen funds for universities such as Harvard, Columbia and Northwestern.

President Donald Trump has frozen $2.2 billion worth of funds to Harvard. The reasoning has been due to a failure to uphold the laws and regulations a public institution ought to fulfill to receive tax-payer dollars. The letter sent by the administration was made public by Harvard.

“Harvard has in recent years failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment,” the letter states.

Antisemitism, DEI and the loss of American values are among the many reasons being cited by those who side with the Trump Administration. The gravity of these claims is something that is incapable of being ignored. It is true that there have been incidents of harassment towards Jewish students on campus by others who do not like Jewish people.

Nobody should fear to go and get an education in a free nation like the United States. The freedom of religion must be respected if we ever expect to reach understanding.

The realignment towards merit based, I feel, is a correct stance for the public good. It opens opportunities for everyone’s accomplishments instead of who they are. The sentiment that universities and colleges across the nation are “indoctrinating” students is a reasonable fear.

Impressionable minds should be protected from those who wish to mold them towards a malevolent goal. Trump clearly does not like that universities lean liberal instead of conservative.

I do not wish to see a conservative stronghold on education either, but rather that a certain level of bias-free criteria is fulfilled by a university.

If the argument made by Harvard is capable of teaching and running their institution in the way they see fit, I have no problem with this. However, if they decide to do this, they should not receive public funds from taxpayers.

It only makes sense you must serve the “public good” of the nation if you are to receive such a privilege. The “public good” is not something that should be partisan but is mutual and agreed upon. I hope the Trump administration does not alter what the “public good” should be just to shape it to their beliefs.

Harvard has chosen to fight these pressures against the Trump administration, and I find it unlikely that they will win. Trump has also announced the possibilities of withdrawing tax exemptions for Harvard.

$2 billion is more than just pocket change, and I find it that they would prefer to have that money than to have to find funds somewhere else.