Trump ramps up fight with Harvard with threat to its accreditation, potentially jeopardizing its student aid
Share this @internewscast.com

The Trump administration has intensified its conflict with Harvard University, with federal agencies notifying the New England Commission of Higher Education that the Ivy League school might no longer fulfill accreditation standards due to breaches of federal antidiscrimination regulations.

The Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services issued a letter to NECHE on Wednesday, indicating that it must collaborate with Harvard to address these violations or revoke the 388-year-old institution’s accreditation.

“Harvard has been — and is — deliberately indifferent to the severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive harassment of Jewish and Israeli students by its own students and faculty,” stated Paula M. Stannard, Director of the HHS Office of Civil Rights, in the letter.


Photo of Donald Trump at a press conference.
Federal agencies under President Trump have written to Harvard University’s accreditor, saying it should lose its status due to violations of federal antidiscrimination laws. AFP via Getty Images

“By allowing antisemitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

In addition to signaling that an institution of higher learning meets certain quality and integrity standards, accreditation “is required for institutions to receive federal financial aid, including student loans and grants,” according to NECHE.

“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,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.

The missive follows a shot across the bow fired last month by Trump’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, which warned Harvard president Alan Garber that the university was in violation of federal civil rights laws over campus antisemitism and that its federal funding was at risk.

“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” the June 30 letter said.

The letter was accompanied by a 57-page report by HHS detailing its findings resulting from 50 “listening sessions” held with Jewish Harvard students, which the agency alleges constitutes a “pattern of unlawful and unchecked discrimination” at the university.

After the letter was sent, the Commission put out a fact sheet explaining how the accreditation process works, noting that the federal government cannot actually force it to withdraw a university’s accreditation.

“The Commission’s policies and procedures, in accord with federal regulation, give institutions up to four years to come into compliance when found by the Commission to be out of compliance, which can be extended for good cause. Institutions in a non-compliance status remain accredited during this period of time,” The Hill reported.


Harvard University campus buildings.
The Cambridge, Mass.-based Ivy League has been engaged in a monthslong battle with Trump over antisemitism on campus. IBRESTER – stock.adobe.com

In a statement to The Post, a Harvard spokesman said the university has “taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community,” highlighting the sharing of its recent Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias Report, as well as “strengthened policies, disciplined those who violate them, encouraged civil discourse, and promoted open, respectful dialogue,” the statement read.

“Harvard has made significant strides to combat bigotry, hate and bias. We are not alone in confronting this challenge and recognize that this work is ongoing. “

Last month, the DOE sent a similar letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an accrediting institution that Columbia University belongs to, saying it, too, should lose its accreditation over its failure to contain antisemitism on its campus in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood.

The Trump administration also slapped Harvard with a subpoena Wednesday as part of its probe into the school’s foreign student exchange program — with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claiming the institution has “allowed foreign students to abuse their visa privileges and advocate for violence and terrorism on campus.”

Trump had said he wants to curtail its admission of international students, which the Wall Street Journal estimates could cost the school $90 million a year in lost tuition.

A federal judge issued a temporary injunction on the ban last month, which the administration has vowed to appeal.

The administration has also yanked some $3.2 billion in federal contracts and grants from Harvard, and pulled around $700 million in federal research funds.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Israeli military convoy in Gaza.

Israel Launches Gaza City Operation with 60,000 Troops to Eliminate Hamas

ISRAEL has begun its full invasion of Gaza City as it aims…
Video of suspected 'honor killing' plot resurfaces as parents stand trial for attempted murder

Teen Confronts Parents at Sentencing Over Alleged ‘Honor Killing’ Plot Captured on Video

A teenager miraculously survived an alleged “honor killing” attempt by her parents…
Family demands justice in Pilsen, Chicago hit-and-run crash that killed Marcela Herrera, injured fiancé near Ashland and Cullerton

Family Seeks Justice After Pilsen Hit-and-Run Kills Marcela Herrera and Injures Fiancé Near Ashland and Cullerton in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) — A poignant melody of love and loss reflects the…
Reporter having phone stolen on live TV.

Thrilling Live TV Moment: Reporter Robbed by Phone Snatcher on Bike

THIS is the shocking moment a TV reporter is robbed by a…
Mugshot of Austin Drummond.

Alleged Quadruple Murderer Austin Drummond Unusually Asserts He Was an FBI Informant Whose Cover Was Blown and Claims Innocence in Family Slayings

THE man accused of killing four people he says he considered to…
As hurricane season collides with immigration agenda, fears increase for those without legal status

Hurricane Season and Immigration Policies Fuel Rising Concerns for Undocumented Individuals

If a major hurricane approaches Central Florida this season, Maria knows it’s…
Rocks hurled through DC church's stained-glass windows, car destroyed as federal crime crackdown continues

Vandalism Targets DC Church: Stained-Glass Windows Smashed and Car Damaged Amid Ongoing Federal Crime Efforts

During the Trump administration’s attempts to address crime in Washington, D.C., a…
Dave Koz and his band were in flight delay hell. So they picked up their instruments

Dave Koz and His Band Turn Flight Delays into an Impromptu Jam Session

Passengers on a flight from St. Louis to Seattle experienced an unexpected…
Woman kicks Southwest employee, punches computer monitors in violent airport meltdown

Woman Assaults Southwest Staff, Damages Computers During Chaotic Airport Incident

<!–> Woman’s wild airport tirade caught on camera An incident at Orlando…
Rhode Island Judge Frank Caprio, whose empathy in court earned him fame online, dies at 88

Beloved Rhode Island Judge Frank Caprio, Known for His Empathy, Passes Away at 88

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Frank Caprio, a retired municipal judge in Rhode…
'Pack the Bags, We're Going on a Guilt Trip'—the Secret to the Democrats' Success

“Unpacking Emotional Appeals: How Guilt Drives the Democrats’ Success”

If you grew up in a predominantly conservative area with parents who…
FBI's Kash Patel vows agency won't stop combating DC crime until 'every community is safe' after 550 arrests

FBI’s Kash Patel Promises Ongoing Efforts to Ensure Safety in DC Communities Following 550 Arrests

The FBI and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conduct a traffic stop near…