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Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 12, 2023. — Reuters
WASHINGTON: Harvard University has indicated it might spend up to $500 million to settle its dispute with the Trump administration. This figure is more than double the amount Columbia University agreed to pay last week to resolve federal investigations, according to The New York Times.
Sources cited in the report say negotiators are still ironing out the financial specifics of Harvard’s settlement, and Harvard opposes the idea of an external monitor overseeing the agreement, considering it a non-negotiable issue.
The Trump administration has launched an investigation into Duke University and the Duke Law Journal over claims of racial discrimination, making it the latest higher education institution facing potential federal funding reductions.
On Monday, the government announced it would investigate whether the journal’s editor selection process favors minority candidates. The Education Department stated, “This probe is based on recent reports alleging that Duke University discriminates based on race, color, or national origin by using these factors in selecting law journal members.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a letter to Duke administrators, accusing the university of “using race preferences in hiring, admissions, and scholarship decisions.” They urged Duke to review its policies and establish a review panel with authority from the Board of Trustees to help resolve these alleged civil rights violations swiftly. Duke has not responded publicly yet.
Advocates for civil rights and free speech have voiced concerns over the Trump administration’s aggressive approach toward universities.
Threats from the Trump administration
The federal government has threatened to cut funding from universities and schools over issues such as climate change policies, transgender rights, pro-Palestinian demonstrations related to Gaza, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Meanwhile, Brown University secured a $500 million loan, as recent federal cuts impacted research funding and financial aid. An official told Reuters in April that the Trump administration planned to block $510 million in grants for Brown.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race in federally funded education programs.
In April, the government also investigated whether Harvard and the Harvard Law Review broke civil rights laws when the journal expedited the review of an article authored by a racial minority student.
Harvard is challenging the government’s actions legally, seeking to get its federal funding reinstated.
President Trump has claimed, without evidence, that groups such as white people and men face discrimination because of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Civil rights groups contend these programs aim to redress historical injustices faced by marginalized groups like ethnic minorities.
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