Editorial: Trump’s war on Harvard

The outrageous diktats of the Trump Administration are not only endangering the autonomy of American universities but also harming the prospects of a large number of international students

America’s image of being the dream destination for higher learning is taking a severe beating due to the whimsical and authoritarian policies of President Donald Trump, who is seeking complete control over elite institutions which have assiduously built global reputation over decades. The outrageous diktats of the Trump Administration are not only endangering the autonomy of American universities but also harming the prospects of a large number of international students, including those from India, enrolled in these globally ranked institutions. The latest move to revoke Harvard University’s certification to admit international students is outrageous in its intent and devastating in its potential impact on one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. This is nothing short of a declaration of war on ideas; the ideas that form the very foundation of the country’s core values of freedom and liberty. The ostensible reason cited by the Department of Homeland Security for this extraordinary order is that Harvard University has permitted foreign students to engage in “anti-American, pro-terrorist” behaviour on the campus. The revocation order, which leaves nearly 7,000 students from across the globe in limbo, strips Harvard of its access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) — the federal database that tracks international students and is essential for maintaining their visa status. Without access to SEVIS, Harvard cannot lawfully enrol foreign students or verify their continued eligibility to study in the United States. The decision threatens to drastically reshape the university’s student body — nearly 27 per cent of which comes from outside the United States.

The government also accused Harvard of failing to comply with a federal request for records on foreign students alleged to have participated in violent protests over the past five years. The latest move further escalated the stand-off. Harvard has already faced freezing $2.2 billion in federal grants, ostensibly as a punishment for refusing to toe the line and comply with a list of demands from the government. The university is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the White House over what it alleges is politically motivated interference in its admissions and governance policies. The ugly showdown with one of the highly reputed universities underscores a disturbing trend of targeting high-profile institutions on flimsy grounds dressed up as serious national issues. Trump and his top aides are exerting control of huge sums of federal research money to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system, which they see as hostile to conservatives and intent on perpetuating liberalism. The government demanded that the university should report foreign students who commit conduct violations immediately to federal authorities; bring in an outside party to ensure that each academic department is “viewpoint diverse”; reduce the power of students and faculty members over the university’s affairs; provide all admissions data to the federal government, including information on both rejected and admitted applicants, sorted by race and national origin.

---