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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Trump administration is threatening to cut all funding to Harvard University, after finding the school in “violent violation” of the Civil Rights Act.
The findings come from Title VI investigation into antisemitism on Harvard’s campus, according to the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.
In a letter sent to Harvard President Alan Garber on Monday, the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services found that “Harvard has been in some cases deliberately indifferent, and in others has been a willful participant in anti-Semitic harassment of Jewish students, faculty, and staff.”
The investigation found that the majority of Jewish students at Harvard reported experiencing discrimination on campus, and that Jewish and Israeli students were assaulted and spit on, anti-semitic images were widely spread among the campus community and on-campus demonstrations denied Jewish and Israeli students access to campus spaces, according to the letter.
The task force said if Harvard fails to make “adequate changes” immediately, the administration will pull all federal funding to the school.
In response to the letter, a Harvard spokesperson said the school has taken “substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community.”
“In responding to the government’s investigation, Harvard not only shared its comprehensive and retrospective Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias Report but also outlined the ways that it has strengthened policies, disciplined those who violate them, encouraged civil discourse, and promoted open, respectful dialogue. Harvard is far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government’s findings,” the statement continued. We remain committed to ensuring members of our Jewish and Israeli community are embraced, respected, and can thrive at Harvard.”
This is the latest move in a months-long battle between the administration and the Ivy League.
The administration has already frozen billions of dollars of grants and contracts to the school and moved to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll international students, resulting in two lawsuits with the school.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked the administration from taking away Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification earlier this month.
Despite the months-long battle, President Donald Trump said earlier this month that Harvard has “acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,” and a deal with the school would be announced soon.