More than 100 presidents of the university, university and university company published on Tuesday a joint declaration opposing the treatment by the Trump administration of higher education establishments, meeting to express themselves after the Harvard University declared that the administration threatened its independence.
The declaration, signed by presidents of institutions such as Princeton, Brown, the University of Hawaii and the Connecticut State Community College, criticized what he described as “the unprecedented government exaggerated and the political interference now endanger American higher education”.
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose the legitimate surveillance of the government,” the statement said. “However, we must oppose the excessive intrusion of the government in the life of those who learn, live and work on our campuses.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comments on the declaration.
Tuesday’s joint declaration is the last demonstration of the resistance of American higher education leaders while the Trump administration aims to take advantage of its financial weight to revise universities.
On April 14, Harvard rejected numerous requests from the administration, which seeks to monitor the student body, the teachers and the Harvard study program in an apparent effort to slow down what he perceives as the liberal bias of the university.
The Trump administration indicates that it freezes more than $ 2.2 billion in grants and $ 60 million in contracts with Harvard University after the institution said on Monday that it would not comply with the limitation of activism on campus.
Shortly after, the administration announced that it was frozen $ 2.3 billion in federal funding at school.
According to the declaration of the White House spokesman Harrison Fields, at that time, President Donald Trump wants to ensure that the dollars of taxpayers do not support racial discrimination or racial violence.
The administration also threatened to exceed Harvard from its tax exemption status and to withdraw its ability to register foreign students.
Harvard continued on Monday, Harvard continued the Trump administration to try to force him to end his orders to freeze the funds and withdraw the requests she made, accusing the federal government of trying to “revise Harvard’s governance, control the hiring of the Harvard faculty and dictate what the faculty can teach Harvard students” for ideological reasons.
Harvard said in his prosecution that the government is trying to “force and control” the university violated the Constitution protections on discourse. He also accused the government of not having followed the procedures set out under federal laws on civil rights.
Since its inauguration of January, Republican President Trump has repressed American universities, saying that they have poorly managed the pro-Palestinian demonstrations of last year and allowed anti-Semitism to be transmitted on the campus.
Its administration has also targeted universities for other questions such as transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and has threatened to retain federal funding on these issues.
Columbia University was an early target, but in recent weeks, the administration has focused on Harvard.
On April 15, more than 60 college and current and current college and university presidents signed an open letter saying that they “strongly support” the rejection by Harvard president, Alan Garber, requests from the administration.
