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Sophie Park / Bloomberg / GettyMay 5, 2025, 12:45 PM ET ShareSave Listen-1.0x+0:008:51Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration Harvard’s anti-Semitism report has landed: elaborately footnoted abundant in statistics as well as anecdotes It was composed entirely by current insiders at the university—no alumni or And it offers more than 300 pages of dismal reading The report spends time—an inordinate amount of time, according to some Harvard critics—parsing the definition of anti-Semitism and its relationship to exterminationist hatred of Israel By its very length and carefully modulated tone it sometimes seems to reflect an academic wringing of hands rather than shocked wonder and volcanic fury at the Jew hatred that has infected this great university The report nonetheless carefully documents a series of appalling incidents and the failure of university leadership to address chronic and worsening Jew-baiting It notes that the university leaders remained mute when a commencement speaker resorted to anti-Jewish tropes It describes the silencing of Jewish students by their classmates egregious faculty support of anti-Israel protests at the expense of classroom neutrality or even attendance and sheer thuggishness aimed at Jewish students It also documents the collapse of a once-demanding disciplinary system as various penalties for misbehavior were reduced or rescinded wholesale in July 2024 including special training for students involved in DEI efforts more courses on Judaism and the Israel-Palestinian conflict and setting clearer expectations about civil discourse for new students Read: The war at Stanford Harvard President Alan Garber came to his position suddenly, being appointed first as interim president, then to his current role following the self-immolation of his predecessor That his presidency was accidental has not stopped Garber from undertaking a number of sensible reforms including standardizing and centralizing disciplinary procedures at the university canceling identity-driven graduation events and attempting to rescue the diversity piece of DEI by focusing on community experience He has been more than a safe pair of hands is that the roots of Harvard’s Jew-baiting problem go far deeper than either the earnest recommendations of the task force or the more robust actions of Harvard’s president can address The widespread harassment of Jews reported at Harvard reflects the attitudes of hundreds if not thousands of students and staff—that last group is an often underappreciated element in indulging or even encouraging this behavior It reflects the development of identity-driven politics for which responsibility lies outside the university as well as within it It has been fed by witch-hunting for “white privilege” (no matter that there are plenty of Jews of color as a walk down the streets of Tel Aviv will show you) It flourishes in the bogus specializations that have hived off from more traditional and all-embracing disciplines such as history It has been nurtured in research centers whose very existence is premised not on the quest for truth but on the pursuit of a political or ideological agenda And it has been compounded by craven behavior at the top When the Harvard Corporation restored the degrees of 11 of the 13 students who had been bounced for violating the university’s rules Neither has the corporation acknowledged any culpability for its disastrous appointment of Gay and the subsequent damage that did to the university’s reputation Garber can only begin to tackle problems that are both deep-seated and not fully acknowledged in the task-force report but neither are you permitted to desist from it.” It insists on meritocracy—but then proposes to supervise faculty hiring and teaching on the basis of ideological criteria It would eliminate academic freedom and put the university in a kind of receivership from which it would be released only at the White House’s discretion And in orderto soften the university up with a bit of backroom third degree and (if Donald Trump is to be believed) trying to eliminate Harvard’s tax-exempt status One may be forgiven for thinking that the administration’s avowedly radical concern about anti-Semitism is impure An administration that listens to the likes of Tucker Carlson is the Trump administration appears to have seized on this issue in large part to batter universities Dara Horn: Why the most educated people in America fall for antisemitic lies The administration likes to talk about terror—whether as a state to induce in bureaucrats or the “existential terror” that Christopher Rufo not reform; you are promoting large-scale vandalism The administration has no vision for universities beyond platitudes and no realization that an attempt to impose one will simply fail—or breed outward submission that will turn into vengefulness when its moment passes The deeper maladies behind Harvard’s Jew-baiting problem will take many years to fix Harvard might even learn from others: Vanderbilt in its intolerance for physical obstruction or Chicago for its unabashedly firm rules on speech The anti-Semitism report alludes delicately to “changing admissions practices” that have perhaps privileged students looking for a platform Harvard might consider looking instead for students keen on a genuine education rewarding open-minded curiosity rather than belligerent self-righteousness pare down its plethora of concentrations and centers that are driven by political activism more than scholarly inquiry It might make its disciplinary system stick and ironclad declarations of what its principles are what should those who deplore both the Jew-baiting and the Trumpian vandalism do The answer lies in another Jewish experience confronted both the British government’s white paper that restricted the immigration of Jews trapped in the slaughterhouse of Europe and the war with Nazi Germany had a simple response: “We must support the [British] army as though there were no White Paper and fight the White Paper as though there were no war.” A courageous response was recently announced as a new professor at a Chinese university Lieber joined the full-time faculty at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School on April 28 and was appointed to Tsinghua University‘s highest faculty position, the university announced this month “Shenzhen’s dynamism and innovative spirit align perfectly with my vision to co-create a global scientific hub here,” Lieber said at a ceremony for his appointment according to the university’s announcement created by the Chinese government more than a decade ago to recruit high-level scientists Lieber was the most prominent scientist charged by federal prosecutors in a campaign to curb academic espionage at the time Those cases were a priority for federal prosecutors under the leadership of Andrew E the US attorney for Massachusetts at the time A jury convicted Lieber in December 2021 of two counts of making false statements to the government for denying he had participated in the Thousand Talents Program; two counts of filing false tax returns for failing to report payments from Wuhan University of Technology in 2013 and 2014 for his participation in the program; and two counts of failing to file reports disclosing he had a Chinese bank account A federal judge sentenced Lieber in April 2023 to six months of home confinement and ordered him to pay a $50,000 fine and $33,600 in restitution for the back taxes he owed a judge signed off on Lieber’s request to travel to China for a week in January “for the purposes of discussing potential employment and scientific collaborations,” according to court records Prosecutors presented evidence at trial that Lieber signed a five-year agreement in 2011 with the Chinese university which agreed to pay him $50,000 a month and $158,000 in living expenses He also allegedly received $1.5 million to set up a joint Harvard-Wuhan research lab at the Chinese university Prosecutors alleged that Lieber failed to disclose the information to Harvard and the federal government and also failed to comply with Internal Revenue Service regulations on overseas payments Lieber was the principal investigator for the Lieber Research Group at Harvard which received more than $15 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense and was required to disclose funding received from foreign institutions or governments prosecutors alleged he repeatedly denied receiving any foreign funding Material from previous Globe coverage was used in this report Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Home Delivery Gift Subscriptions Log In Manage My Account Customer Service Delivery Issues Feedback News Tips Help & FAQs Staff List Advertise Newsletters View the ePaper Order Back Issues News in Education Search the Archives Privacy Policy Terms of Service Terms of Purchase Work at Boston Globe Media Internship Program Co-op Program Do Not Sell My Personal Information Community Safety Department Director To Resign Amid Tension With Cambridge Police Department From Lab to Startup: Harvard’s Office of Technology Development Paves the Way for Research Commercialization People’s Forum on Graduation Readiness Held After Vote to Eliminate MCAS 8 Takeaways From Harvard’s Task Force Reports Garber ’76 charged twin task forces with investigating bias against the University’s Jewish painting a troubling picture of a campus marred by fear and divisions over the meaning of protests and academic freedom The long-awaited reports collectively run over 500 pages overflow with testimonies and survey results from thousands of community members and include striking statistics — such as the fact that 56 percent of Muslim and 26 percent of Jewish student respondents feared for their physical safety at Harvard The reports also proposed serious changes to the University’s academic offerings cannot single-handedly end discrimination and polarization — systemic concerns like these are not unique to our University we must protect free speech and foster empathy towards our peers to promote a positive and engaged student culture If we can learn anything straightforward from the reports it’s that Harvard students feel more stifled in their speech and gravely unsafe in their identities than ever before it is essential for our University — as an administration and a broader community — to recognize and validate this painful reality contribute to acknowledging the bitter reality But when the University fails to adequately address the grief of all Harvard constituencies — as it did in an email describing the “Hamas assault on Israel” while euphemistically referring to all the ensuing events as the “aftermath” — we’re reminded that Harvard still has a ways to go towards even acknowledging the full range of affiliates’ grief recognition is only a first step in combating the biases that Harvard has identified To live up to its academic mission — and foster a culture of empathetic inquiry — the University would do well to expand its course offerings and faculty in Jewish and Palestine Studies Indeed, the task forces converged on this very imperative, drawing attention to vacant professorships in Jewish studies and alarming attacks on programs studying Israel-Palestine at Harvard Divinity School Safeguarding spaces where students can learn from experts would set the tone for discourse campus-wide Harvard would do well to further clarify the rights and obligations that come with membership in the campus community Both task forces drew attention to uncertainty around seemingly ever-changing protest guidelines and Non-Discrimination and Anti-Bullying policies students lack a consistent set of guidelines on how they ought to act perhaps speaking in ways they shouldn’t — or And such a chilling effect only intensifies when those met with external threats to speech like doxxing as pro-Palestine protesters faced last year There’s much for Harvard to do in shifting campus culture but the University should not bear that responsibility alone coupling Harvard's moves to combat bias with good-faith efforts on our part to empathize with one another Acknowledging one another’s identities against the backdrop of history is necessary to genuinely interact with ideas that differ from our own engaging with others’ views does not require us to abandon our convictions We commend the University for taking a first step to address the biases that exist on this campus but we hold our applause to see what steps it takes next This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics Have a suggestion, question, or concern for The Crimson Editorial Board? Click here Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter. Former Harvard Chemistry professor Charles M. Lieber, who was convicted of lying to federal authorities about his ties to China in 2021 took a new job as a professor at a Chinese university last week Lieber started his new role at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School where he now holds the school’s highest faculty rank “Shenzhen’s dynamism and innovative spirit align perfectly with my vision to co-create a global scientific hub here,” Lieber said during an April 28 ceremony welcoming Lieber to the university Lieber was found guilty in 2021 of six felony counts of concealing his ties to the Thousand Talents Program, a Chinese government initiative which brings overseas researchers to the country, in misleading statements and falsely reported tax returns. In 2023, Lieber was sentenced to one day in prison He had been actively searching for a job in China since at least last June. In October, a federal judge granted him permission to visit China for “employment networking” and to deliver a lecture in Beijing a pioneer in applying nanotechnology to biology and medicine once held Harvard’s highest faculty rank as a University Professor and was an internationally celebrated chemist His arrest drew backlash from many prominent scientists including seven Nobel laureates and more than two dozen Harvard professors who signed an open letter calling his prosecution “unjust.” The letter cautioned that similar legal actions could have a “chilling effect” on global scientific collaboration His new position in China comes as the country attempts to catch up — or even surpass — advanced industrial economies in its technological prowess by investing heavily in research and scientific education Tsinghua SIGS Dean Ouyang Zheng said during the April ceremony that Lieber’s new appointment would “advance SIGS’s academic excellence and contribute to the establishment of a world-class scholarly community,” according to the press release —Staff writer William C. Mao can be reached at william.mao@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @williamcmao —Staff writer Veronica H. Paulus can be reached at veronica.paulus@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @VeronicaHPaulus Thanks for visiting ! The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. 1);}}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-wjxay9-SquareButton{transition-property:background-color;transition-duration:0ms;transition-timing-function:cubic-bezier(0 1);}}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-152q15n-SquareButton{transition-property:background-color;transition-duration:0ms;transition-timing-function:cubic-bezier(0 1);}}.css-x340e0-SquareButton{margin:0;padding:0;display:inline-grid;-webkit-column-gap:8px;column-gap:8px;grid-template-columns:repeat(3 1);}}@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-x340e0-SquareButton{transition-property:background-color;transition-duration:0ms;transition-timing-function:cubic-bezier(0 1);}}.css-v6oqvx{margin:0;font-family:Lato,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0px;font-style:normal;text-transform:none;font-stretch:normal;padding:0.5px 0px;}.css-v6oqvx::before{content:'';margin-bottom:-0.4973em;display:block;}.css-v6oqvx::after{content:'';margin-top:-0.4463em;display:block;}Listen But Trump’s threat over tax-exempt status may not be the only arrow in the administration’s quiver when it comes to tweaking the tax code to target certain disfavored entities. and the Trump Administration that sought it A major concern among the Trump Administration is Harvard’s lack of viewpoint diversity It also revealed a deeper division between science and the humanities — quiet now but with a Harvard history Viewpoint diversity means wanting more conservatives not a further sprinkling of garish extremes To lack a proper mix of left and right is not legally a crime — so we assume goes Harvard’s reasonable position in the battle — but it is a massive error one that has forced Harvard into the courts To depend on the courts to defend its independence is still dependence and it offers only tenuous relief from a Trumpist siege If Harvard wants to prevent further trouble with Republicans As the Harvard administration has begun to see this gratuitous partisan attitude does not preserve Harvard’s independence — it endangers it There is much to gain and little to lose in welcoming conservatives to share our company This fact opens up a second problem of viewpoint diversity within universities that is not so easy to fix: The divide between the scientists and the humanists Harvard scientists will no doubt admire its president’s impressive move to check the Trumpist attempt to take over the University but some of them will reflect that it is Harvard’s humanists who cause the trouble while the scientists pay the cost A deeper look into the difference between science and the humanities will help to understand this second division When I arrived as a freshman at Harvard in 1949 taught not by a professor but by former University President James B He was a scientist who had been part of a committee making recommendations regarding the Manhattan Project in World War II that produced the atomic bomb Absorbed in the question whether this was a good thing for humanity he inspired a new program at Harvard called “General Education,” of which this course was one To make education “general,” including both science and humanities the differences between them became clearer to me the humanities with persons — the particular human beings from which science abstracts If a course takes up proper nouns like Shakespeare and Goethe it belongs to the humanities; if it concerns impersonal objects as common nouns to respect the human desire for self-importance Yet a doctor using medical science does not need to know your name in order to treat your human body Science is a nameless collective enterprise of what “we know,” though inconsistently allowing for the pursuit of Nobel Prizes Humanities professors write their own books and make “contributions” to Shakespeare literature Science calls itself hypothetical (Nat Sci 4!) and progresses by discarding old hypotheses and finding new ones Humanities do not progress — who now is equal to Homer and Shakespeare — and they offer insights into permanent human truths of honor and beauty that the scientific method cannot discern or recognize with its “pioneering research” (as University President Alan M Garber ’76 stated in his reply to the Trumpists) can deliver manifest benefits But science (or its technology) also delivers risks to humanity from possible atomic warfare and changes of climate Perhaps science has remedies for dangers it brings science needs to address and convince the non-scientific public that its research is worth funding This is difficult because the exactness of modern science arises from its use of mathematics which keeps it remote from the great majority of human beings who are not adept with numbers — including myself We have to be addressed with rhetoric — inexact and often promising too much Our experience shows that science is hypothetical and open-minded while conveying science can be partisan and closed-minded but it cannot defend or explain itself without departing from scientific rigor There is no scientific proof that science is good From my recollection of “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” by Thomas S Kuhn — once an instructor in Nat Sci 4 — scientific progress is more a change of rhetoric from one normal paradigm to another (which is politics) than the pioneering discovery of truth when we turn from science to the humanities we encounter postmodern arguments like Kuhn’s helpless relativism Far from giving reason why science might be good Because it helps society; it’s worth the money That answer makes Harvard the expert part of society Doesn’t it need some standard from outside society to justify itself as independent Something like veritas that combines science and the humanities — a Harvard that looks for the wisdom that makes science valuable to human beings I like to think that this wisdom centers on politics A wiser politics than devotion to a single party would have protected the scientists and corrected the humanists Mansfield ’53 is the Kenan Research Professor of Government at Harvard The landmark Belmont Report articulated key principles to protect humans in scientific studies Nearly 50 years after the report’s publication this distinguished panel of bioethics experts examined the impacts of those guidelines And what are the actionable solutions to create a more inclusive and trustworthy healthcare system for everyone? National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and Professor of African and African American Studies Professor of the History of Science and Amalie Moses Kass Professor of the History of Medicine we offer highly targeted executive and continuing education Stay connected with newsletters on climate communication — and the latest from Harvard Chan School their names are covered with cardboard or paper taped to the ID scanners — a precaution taken to hide the legal names of transgender students still programmed to appear on the displays Behind the temporary fix is a long-standing problem in at least two of Harvard’s central databases: they do not remove legal names for students who use preferred names instead whether because of personal preference or gender identity and dining hall scanners all default to using students’ legal names and are not updated when students change their names in my.harvard the University’s central administrative site The Harvard Alumni Directory allows affiliates to add a nickname to appear in quotes next to their legal name but provides no option on the website to remove a name Harvard Trans+ Community Celebration co-director E Matteo Diaz ’27 said the directory discrepancies present a serious issue for transgender students many of whom do not use or identify with their legal name “Having a legal name that doesn’t reflect your identity pop up can be a really discomforting distressing experience — something that’s difficult and can make you feel kind of at odds with your environment also a Crimson Editorial editor and Diversity and Inclusivity Chair Students are asked at the beginning of each semester to verify their preferred name in my.harvard and can change their name in the system at any time But when preferred name changes were made mid-semester students said there was a weeks-long delay before some Harvard systems began reflecting the change a transgender student who changed her preferred name in the middle of the spring semester said her name on Canvas was updated more than two weeks after she entered it into my.harvard Even after being told by her academic advisor that “the back end of Harvard’s servers” had been updated with her new name Codding said “there are still a couple significant holdouts,” including the dining hall scanners She added that changing a Harvard email to reflect a new name is a “pretty intensive process.” “The official Harvard email saying my dead name — I’m not really cool with,” Codding said According to College spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo students enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences can change their name at any time with the Registrar’s Office but changes made after HUDS and other Harvard offices pull names from the system are not reflected “The old name would appear,” Palumbo wrote trans students’ dead names appeared on screens every time they swiped their ID cards until the scanners were covered earlier this year “It’s not a great experience to have your dead name coming up every time you have to swipe in and do a very basic function of life on campus,” Diaz said Harvard University Dining Services began taping pieces of cardboard or paper over part of swipe machines that display student names at the beginning of the Fall 2024 Four HUDS employees said the change was made to protect student privacy around gender identity One HUDS employee said the scanners were covered after a transgender student made a complaint in summer 2024 the student swiped into the dining hall surrounded by their group of friends who learned their dead name from the scanner — leading the student to make a complaint Palumbo confirmed that the change was made after a student raised a concern over the summer and wrote that “it is a technical issue between the system where students reflect their preferred name and the HUDS system for processing board plan usage.” “We are actively working together on a solution,” Palumbo added The College’s nine river houses and Currier House started covering student names on dining hall scanners in the fall both Cabot House and Pforzheimer House had added covers as well Annenberg is the only dining hall without covered scanners Though the University has not fixed the inconsistency yet the temporary coverings were an effective temporary measure “Coming in this year and seeing HUDS having made that switch — it meant a lot to me,” Diaz said it meant that there was someone thinking about it But Diaz added that having preferred names registered in my.harvard also registered with the HUDS system automatically would be the “ideal scenario.” The issue caught the attention of Harvard Undergraduate Association officials who were also told administrators would work to find a solution Former HUA Academic Team officer Matthew R Tobin ’27 said he met with the Committee on Undergraduate Education who said the HUDS issue was separate from the alumni directory “The fix seems like a very easy fix on Harvard’s end,” Tobin said “Students already list their preferred names that’s already in the software so it's just making sure that data point is used when they’re pulling the students information rather than the data point listed immediately before it.” used by current students and alumni from all 12 schools as a networking platform While a student can remove the prefix “Mr.” or “Ms.” from their online profile and choose to add a nickname which is displayed in quotation marks they cannot add preferred pronouns or remove their legal name from being displayed entirely through the website For alumni who change their names legally after getting married there is a “Marital Status Change Request” form built into the profile editing page on the Harvard Alumni website There is no equivalent system for trans students who change their names legally the Alumni Association will remove legal names and replace them with preferred names if a student emails the association and requests an update and the differences between used and listed names has led both the alumni association and potential employers who reach out using the directory information to misgender or misname University affiliates who founded Harvard Trans+ Community Celebration in 2022 said they are “misgendered and misnamed every single time” someone contacts them through the Alumni Directory or your pronouns assigned at birth would have been it’s a lot easier for them to misgender you intentionally or unintentionally,” King said Having names mismatched either in initial outreach to employers or from transcripts is an “additional flag” in the hiring process and a detriment to job opportunities “Over the course of six months of last year I had significantly worse outcomes compared to peers with similar backgrounds and experiences,” King said The HAA spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement that the HAA is “actively working to ensure that alumni records are accurate and able to sync with other university information systems as appropriate.” Three transgender students who spoke to The Crimson said they faced extra confusion among employers when applying for summer opportunities with different names on documents — such as resumes and transcripts — and their email address or name “Applying for summer funding was kind of stressful,” Codding said “It was definitely just an uncomfortable process to have my name be different things in different places for a while.” said that when applying for an internship opportunity through Harvard and making it to the interview round the University only shared his legal name with the host organization — leading Perkins to have to correct the employer upon initial outreach “It is still a correction that is at least uncomfortable to try to do that early in an application process,” Perkins said Palumbo wrote in a statement that the College is “deeply committed to cultivating a campus where all students are welcome and feel seen.” we strive to improve our systems in service of a more inclusive environment and we acknowledge the work still left to do Every student belongs and we work to ensure our systems match our commitments,” he added Multiple students said they still receive email communications from the College — the FAS Registrar and messages from House Mail Centers — which addressed them with a legal or dead name they no longer use Perkins said receiving those emails is a “jarring” experience “We just don’t have the systems to support it —Staff writer Annabel M. Yu can be reached at annabel.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @annabelmyu —Staff writer Sheerea X. Yu can be reached at sheerea.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @_shuhree_ Community awards received by current Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine faculty, postdocs, staff, and students can also be found, categorized by calendar year, on the HMS Office of the Dean webpage The Harvard Heroes Recognition Program celebrates the accomplishments of Harvard staff whose work supports the university’s mission at the highest levels of contribution This year’s Harvard Heroes awards ceremony hosted by Harvard University President Alan Garber will be held on June 13 in the Sanders Theatre of Memorial Hall Community service is an integral part of the missions of HMS and HSDM. In faithfulness to this commitment, the Dean’s Community Service Award was established in 1999 to recognize individuals whose dedication and commitment to community service have made a positive impact on the local Since its inception, this award has recognized the contributions of 164 individuals, including 13 faculty members who were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and donated $1,000 to 152 organizations that serve our community Thomas Burke HMS associate professor of emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital Organization: Vayu Global Health Innovations Maryam Shayan HMS research fellow in ophthalmology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Organization: American Association of Orthodontics Foundation London Hardy senior research portfolio administrator in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at HMS Organization: Everybody Gotta Eat director of talent acquisition in Human Resources at HMS Organization: African Bridge Network (ABN) Organization: Ed Furshpan and David Potter Native American High School Program Organization: Healing Our Community Collaborative Studies detailing brain-immune crosstalk could inform treatments for autism Scientists weigh in on the spread of H5N1 and highlight clues that portend what might come next Researchers recognized for accomplishments in biological sciences © 2025 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College speakers addressed the significant challenges posed by cuts to federal research funding distrust in science and the spread of misinformation and high costs and inequity in the health care system Looking ahead for the School and the larger field of public health they explored solutions centered around leveraging new collaborations and emerging technologies and finding ways to share the story of the power of prevention “Public health is no longer joined at the hip with medicine—rather People are much less reliant on their doctors for health information so public health practitioners need to find ways to reach them directly He called for academic researchers to foster relationships with industry and for the School to do more to prepare students to be innovators and problem solvers our work will be measured by our impact on public health,” he said “We need to rethink the tools that we equip our students with so that when they graduate and go out to the real world Dean Andrea Baccarelli moderated a panel on prevention and health which is the focus of a collaboration developing between Harvard Chan School Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Too much money is being spent on “disease care” without showing enough positive results The hope is that through this collaboration innovative new solutions can be developed to reorient the health care system toward helping to keep people from getting sick in the first place He said that he sees Harvard Chan School not as a school “of” public health but a school “for” public health and that academia can play an important role in advancing prevention Panelist Asaf Bitton, associate professor of health care policy in the Department of Health Policy and Management and executive director of Ariadne Labs agreed noting that academia can bring together people with different areas of expertise to tackle big problems in public health—not just to make discoveries but to translate knowledge for the benefit of society But prevention is a harder sell to the public and funders than a new disease treatment because it is often invisible “It is sort of like oxygen,” Bitton said—people only notice it when it drops too low When it comes to influencing policy around prevention, Sara Bleich called for researchers to develop sharper messages She said that when she worked in government she was surprised to learn that many policy decisions are not guided by science she said that there are often windows of opportunity for easily digestible science-based messages from researchers to get through She cited the National Diabetes Prevention Program as an example of a successful prevention program that went from research to policy to widespread adoption and has been shown to lower health care costs Several examples of how researchers and industry can work together to support public health were shared in a panel led by Sarah Fortune, John LaPorte Given Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. For example, Yonatan Grad professor of immunology and infectious diseases led a highly successful collaboration with the NBA to establish a COVID-19 testing and monitoring program during the 2020 season which generated valuable data on viral dynamics Panelists called for stronger frameworks for facilitating sustainable partnerships between academia and the public health sector to maximize the potential of data and technology for public health They also discussed business and ethical considerations around data sharing Additional panels brought together experts from across Harvard to discuss ways that artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used in health care and medicine—including automating administrative tasks leveraging large datasets and language models to identify potential diagnoses and accelerating drug development by predicting safety and efficacy The audience also heard from panelists who are using AI to improve the effectiveness of mental health treatment and to enable multilingual communication between patients who speak limited English and their health care providers Public health researchers across the field have a role to play in AI research and application said panelist Isaac Kohane of Harvard Medical School “My mission today is for you to understand this opportunity,” he said is that there are likely to be others involved in public health AI who are less informed about the field and invested in its principles The day-long event highlighted the importance of collaboration—between academia and industry and across Harvard Dean Baccarelli said in his closing remarks “Great things happen when different people meet with different ideas We have ideas we would never have had otherwise Despite the current challenging climate for Harvard and public health “there’s also great hope that we can move together with purpose and help create better days for our School and a better world for everyone.” Harvard Chan Magazine; Senior Writer in the Office of Communications Presented jointly with the PhD Program in Population Health Sciences Chan School of Public Health about the future of global health on April 28 who served as assistant administrator for global health at the U.S Agency for International Development from January 2022 to 2025 and impacts of shifting national priorities and former USAID Global Health Assistant Administrator Department of Global Health and Population Harvard University shared information about its international students with the Department of Homeland Security the university disclosed in a letter Wednesday The news comes two weeks after the agency threatened to revoke Harvard’s ability to host international students if the school did not submit details about students’ disciplinary records and protest participation Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asked the school to provide visa holders’ “known threats to other students or university personnel,” and any action related to students “making threats to other students or populations or participating in protests.” The university’s tax-exempt status and $2.2 billion in federal funding has been in jeopardy as well DHS didn’t respond to requests for comment on how it will use the information Harvard has provided or what specific information the school shared Harvard declined to answer further questions “Those [protests] could potentially rise to criminal activity “Even peaceful protests and peaceful views have otherwise been characterized as violent or otherwise threatening to other students.” Harvard is legally required to respond to requests from DHS executive director of the Association of International Enrollment Management a membership organization focused on recruiting and enrolling international students he said the information requested was a “departure from established norms,” and Harvard likely weighed the risks before responding Decertification and removal from the Student and Visitor Exchange Program “would pose real and immediate harm to thousands of members of Harvard’s community,” he said Students would have needed to transfer to a different college this is an example of the current administration threatening institutional autonomy and even larger than that the reputation of higher education in the United States as an independent and strong educational enterprise,” Harmon said “It seems to be a reversal from the resistance that they [Harvard] have demonstrated initially,” said Gerardo Blanco associate professor and the academic director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College Blanco looked back at his time as a residence hall director and noted that disclosure of student records isn’t usually done tend to be “the most confidential pieces of information,” under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act which outlines certain rights for parents regarding their children’s education records This request seems to go beyond “noise and disruption after hours,” said Blanco and standard violations of student code of conduct Harvard didn’t reply to a request for that code “I think this is just creating a very confusing and frankly very scary environment for international students when it already is,” he said Your essential daily newsletter delivering trusted news and can't miss programs from Boston and beyond .css-bp9mjk{font-size:3em;color:#ba0600;float:left;line-height:1.1;height:0.7em;padding-right:0.1em;color:AF2234;}The Harvard University Press published 142 new titles in the fall of 2016 Employees of the press say the drop is not a coincidence press staff alleged — in interviews with The Crimson and letters to Harvard administrators — that he has belittled HUP employees to their peers instilled a fear of retaliation and layoffs That environment has caused an exodus of talent at least 50 employees have left the press — and in interviews and in letters obtained by The Crimson several cited Andreou’s leadership as a key catalyst for their departures Documents obtained by The Crimson show a history of low morale dating back to 2019 staff wrote at least five letters raising concerns about Andreou’s leadership to then-Harvard Provost Alan M and filed several complaints with human resources Garber now serves as the University’s president and the press now falls under the leadership of Provost John F “I have never in my professional life in trade publishing experienced the kind of abusive egotistical and unprofessional behavior that I have seen consistently over the course of the last two and a half years,” a former editor wrote in a 2020 letter to Garber that called for Andreou’s removal Andreou allegedly pulled back his eyes to reference an Asian employee according to the editor’s letter to Garber Andreou referred to HUP staffers as “unemployable” or “idiots.” “Trust is now so eroded I do not know anyone who thinks the situation can be remedied by any measure short of his departure,” the editor wrote Harvard took steps to address employee complaints including hiring a leadership coach for Andreou and hosting meetings with union representatives Though a May 2023 staff survey showed signs of positive progress at HUP four staff members who remained employed at the press past that date said they felt the problems with Andreou’s leadership have persisted A University spokesperson wrote in a statement that HUP made changes over the past seven years “in line with strategic priorities for the press” but declined to comment on the workplace allegations related to Andreou citing a policy of not discussing personnel matters Andreou did not respond to multiple requests for comment But in a staff-wide email following this piece’s publication he wrote that the changes at HUP during his tenure have made publishing at the press “even more enviable.” “Over the past seven years there have been many changes made at HUP to further our strategic priorities,” Andreou wrote it has been necessary to ensure that we continue a successful trajectory.” “Our authors have come to appreciate the high-touch professionalism that we provide,” he added The Crimson spoke to more than 14 former HUP employees for this article all of whom criticized Andreou’s management of the press Some were granted anonymity to candidly discuss their former workplace and supervisor without fear of professional retribution the press faced flat revenues and rising costs amid a dimming national outlook for academic publishers Andreou brought nearly three decades of experience in trade publishing — at the highbrow New York firm Alfred A Knopf — and set his sights on reaching more readers “I think that better taking into account end users is a worthy goal for any publisher at this time,” Andreou told the Harvard Gazette in an interview shortly after his appointment he brought on a new marketing director and restructured the press laying off some employees and reassigning others Andreou indicated that he wanted to focus on finding an audience for the press’s books — and finding books that would have an audience after nine acquisitions editors departed the press publishing output plummeted in 2020 — and kept falling The decline in published titles was not unusual among academic presses as the Covid-19 pandemic hit recovered from their pandemic-related dips in output after several months its publishing numbers fell precipitously over the next several years Andreou has described his vision for the press as publishing “fewer better books,” according to the former editor’s October 2020 letter and several former employees “Academic publishers have to bear in mind what most publishers do which is that the answer to most things is ‘No,’” Andreou told Harvard Magazine in a 2018 interview “And the ‘Yeses’ have to have good reasons for them Andreou took the reins at HUP when the press was experiencing declining profits per title but the figure has increased since he became director — perhaps a sign that his vision has paid off HUP also transitioned to a new distributor in 2024 which may have reduced acquisitions that year the steady drop in new titles published by HUP has led revenue to drop too — from roughly $20 million in past years to $15 million in fiscal year 2024 Revenue from new books — the “frontlist” — declined by half since 2018 Several employees said there were explanations beyond Andreou’s publishing strategy for the decline alleging that HUP’s reputation has suffered under his leadership discouraging authors and literary agents from sending work to HUP former executive editor Kathleen McDermott wrote that authors had expressed concerns about the state of HUP saying they would no longer recommend the press to their fellow authors “The Press has a growing reputation among academic publishers for dysfunction,” former executive editor Ian Malcolm Several employees also said the departures of top acquisitions editors and shortened contracts for their replacements have caused a loss of institutional knowledge which may have further contributed to HUP’s declining output HUP began hiring acquisitions editors on contracts that lasted just two years The change marked a contract length that is substantially shorter than the many years that editors previously would spend building relationships with authors and finalizing book deals Boston University associate professor Anthony A but his second with Princeton University Press instead could not pursue a final contract for his book as aggressively as he would have liked He said Kinney’s “hands were tied” and that HUP’s leadership seemed to be restricting Kinney’s ability to pursue the book deal “There was a vision from the top of what books should be coming out rather than from the editors putting forth a case for what books they view as contribution to the field,” Jack added According to the former editor’s October 2020 letter Andreou “heaped scorn” on Jack’s first book “The Privileged Poor” went on to win six awards — including the Thomas J bestowed by HUP’s Board of Syndics — and was named one of National Public Radio’s best books of 2019 McDermott alleged that Andreou’s leadership had left many employees demoralized — and that Harvard had failed to protect them “I cannot stress enough the sense of despair the vast majority of the press staff feels at this point,” McDermott wrote once proud and excited to work for Harvard have come to believe that the university’s words about valuing its staff are entirely hollow.” Former employees cited multiple instances in which Andreou made pejorative remarks and harshly criticized employees The editor who wrote to Garber in 2020 alleged that Andreou repeatedly engaged in “scathing and abusive ad hominem attacks” and fostered “a textbook case of a hostile work environment.” “You just kind of wondered what was going to be the thing that set him off this meeting and you hoped it wasn’t you,” former HUP publicist Megan Posco said When another former publicist went on maternity leave from the press Andreou said in 2019 that she “abandoned” HUP and that she was not mature enough for a promotion according to the October 2020 letter to Garber written a year and a half after the incident allegedly took place Andreou referred to a former acquisitions editor as a “slob” and repeatedly criticized his appearance to his colleagues sent an email in October 2020 congratulating staff for completing a catalogue during the pandemic Andreou sent a one-line accidental reply to the entire staff: “Oh Andreou sent another email two hours later apologizing to Sen and writing that his prior message was “no reflection on everybody’s amazing effort.” The next morning Andreou sent another follow-up apologizing to the whole staff for what he referred to as his “uncalled for” email But multiple employees who received the email said they felt offended by the message and thought it was emblematic of broader concerns with Andreou’s leadership the president of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers sent a report to Garber and Harvard Business School professor William C who at the time chaired HUP’s Board of Directors (Kirby declined multiple interview requests for this story.) The report contained the results of 2019 and 2020 surveys of HUP union members that found widespread dissatisfaction and frustration with Andreou’s leadership “We have all witnessed his many uncontrollable tantrums in the Editorial Meetings His presence at these meetings is erratic and his remarks haphazard,” a respondent wrote on the 2020 survey The 2019 and 2020 surveys had 81 percent and 82 percent response rates Roughly half the press’s staff were in the union 100 percent of respondents reported that Andreou’s style of leadership had a “very negative” or “somewhat negative” effect on morale and cross-departmental collaboration within the press It’s gone so far downhill I’m looking at every avenue to leave Harvard,” a 2019 respondent said “This environment is so toxic I no longer want anything to do with this place.” As frustrations mounted with Andreou’s leadership the press experienced significant staff turnover Of the at least 50 employees who have left HUP since 2018 several who spoke with The Crimson cited Andreou’s leadership as a reason for their departures a longtime acquisitions editor who spent 35 years at the press retired early in 2020 over frustrations with Andreou’s leadership “I left when I discovered what he was like,” Waters said in an interview with The Crimson Tensions between Andreou and press staff also erupted in the form of political disagreements Andreou and HUP staff found themselves in standoffs over whether the press should issue public statements or shows of support for social movements HUP updated its social media profiles with a modified version of its logo in rainbow colors to celebrate Pride Month the rainbow logos were removed — a decision which HUP employees at the time attributed to Andreou and the board of directors “We find it troubling that this action was considered too political for HUP given that LGTBQ+ rights are human rights and should not be considered a partisan issue,” employees wrote in a June 2019 email to press leadership “Many of us at the Press identify as LGBTQ+ and find the decision to remove the logo and what it symbolizes to be invalidating and discriminatory.” Andreou initially resisted requests from staff members to publish a statement condemning racism in the wake of the murder of George Floyd leading to an all-staff town hall held in June “I hate for an organization that depends on a certain level of seriousness to be drawn into sloganeering,” Andreou said according to a recording of the meeting obtained by The Crimson Andreou ultimately relented and allowed staff members to reinstate the logo modified for Pride Month and issue a statement on George Floyd “I will welcome volunteers for a kind of drafting committee to put this together for our release,” he said during the 2020 meeting a staff group which includes union and non-union representatives employees were positive about their experiences at the press reporting that they enjoy their work at HUP and encounter “caring Most employees reported positive interactions with their managers and HUP as an organization But a majority disagreed with the statement that “senior leaders create enough opportunities for us to come together as a group to evaluate how we’re doing Respondents said that HUP leadership — and Andreou and Sen in their positions as director and editorial director — could better communicate the press’s strategy “When thinking about conduct in the workplace many colleagues expressed a desire that HUP staff recognize certain harmful individual and company behaviors that impact morale and productivity and model new behaviors that seek to repair harm done,” Joint Council representatives wrote in the report Frustrated employees submitted human resources complaints and sent letters to Garber who was then serving as the University’s provost and helped oversee HUP But at least two former employees wrote in letters and six told The Crimson in interviews that the University’s responses did little to solve the problems they identified the provost’s office sent a management coach in 2020 to work with Andreou on his leadership approach Kayler met with several editors and solicited responses to questionnaires that asked what was and wasn’t working at the press one editor reported that employees felt “undervalued” and that Andreou had “a negative perception” of employees Garber wrote in a December 2020 email to Barbash that he believed Andreou had made progress since beginning work with Kayler (Kayler did not respond to a request for comment.) “My understanding from George and his leadership coach is that he has made positive strides towards enhancing communication among his senior management,” Garber wrote felt that Andreou’s management issues persisted McDermott wrote that the coach seemed like “an exercise in futility” and appeared “to have accepted a false narrative that the problem is employees reluctant to change.” “Nothing could be further from the truth,” McDermott wrote at the time “We all had been looking forward eagerly to a new director The email Garber sent in December 2020 came in response to the union report shared by Barbash detailing the employee concerns with Andreou’s leadership writing that the report was “disheartening to read.” Garber also offered to schedule a meeting between Barbash and the human resourcesrelations team responsible for HUP He expressed hope that the group would identify strategies for “improving morale and communications within HUP” and “lead to positive changes for HUP employees at all levels.” a Zoom invitation for the meeting Garber had promised was sent to HUP employees the associate provost for arts and culture the HUP union members and HUCTW leadership shared instances where they alleged that Andreou’s leadership was ineffective and distressing for employees according to two affiliates present at the meeting employees said the issues at HUP continued the press hosted an organization-wide meeting attended by Garber and some members of the Board of Directors which controls the business operations of the press The board is composed of University administrators and faculty But some press employees were not satisfied with the conversation Though the meeting was scheduled as a regular check-in HUP union members submitted questions about “prioritizing staff retention” and improving morale at HUP ahead of time none of these questions were directly asked or answered according to an email sent from an employee at the time who attended the meeting Garber and the board members “closed ranks around George” and “backed up his vision,” the employee alleged in their email sent a message through Zoom criticizing the comments made by Garber and some Board of Directors members as “condescending,” adding that Andreou’s statements were “false “Most of what the others said was condescending and out of touch,” Malcolm wrote Malcolm wrote that “it’s not a secret that HUP is an unsettled organization” and that the University has been well warned about HUP’s challenges it’s not one that the university’s administration hasn’t been warned about,” Malcolm wrote A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to a 2023 HUP survey as a union report the survey was conducted by the HUP Joint Council which includes both union and management representatives President Trump again threatened to revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status "We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status. It's what they deserve!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post His comments marked the latest volley in a battle between the Trump administration and the wealthiest college in the world Trump first suggested revoking the school's nonprofit tax status in April, when he wrote on Truth Social: "Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political and terrorist inspired/supporting 'Sickness?' " Nearly all colleges and universities are tax-exempt organizations They are given nonprofit status along with charities religious institutions and some political organizations That's part of the reason some elite, U.S. institutions have been able to amass huge endowments. Harvard has the largest, at more than $50 billion Become an NPR sponsor United States President Donald Trump wrote on Friday that he would pull Harvard’s tax-exempt status — his second social media threat to weaponize the Internal Revenue Service in the White House’s standoff with the University “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social It was not immediately clear whether action to pull Harvard’s tax-exempt status had already been taken A spokesperson for the IRS did not respond to a request for comment “There is no legal basis to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status,” a Harvard spokesperson wrote in a statement “Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission.” Trump cannot unilaterally end Harvard’s tax-exempt status and is prohibited from “indirectly or directly” asking the IRS to initiate a tax investigation Nonprofits — including most schools like Harvard — are exempt from federal income tax insofar as they operate within their stated purposes and the legal limits of their classification have long alleged that Harvard has strayed from its educational mission and become a hotbed for antisemitism But Trump’s Friday post is the clearest sign yet that he intends to make good on his threat — and significantly increase Harvard’s tax burden Should Harvard’s tax-exempt status be revoked financial aid programs and research projects would be hit the hardest Trump’s Friday post caps off a week in which Harvard has become one of his favorite verbal punching bags During a speech at the University of Alabama’s commencement ceremony on Thursday Trump told thousands of graduates that Harvard had lost its prestige “It is clear to see the next chapter of the American story will not be written by the Harvard Crimson,” he said — apparently in reference to the school mascot Trump referred to Harvard as “Harlem” in meandering remarks on NewsNation which he concluded by asserting that Black people supported his attacks on the University’s funding —Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel —Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon As Harvard’s campus convulsed in protests over the war in Gaza, Jewish and Muslim students reported lower levels of belonging and comfort in expression compared to their peers on Harvard’s latest Pulse Survey — even as overall student sentiment has seen modest improvement since the survey’s first iteration in 2019 The 2024 survey was administered from Sept. 24 to Oct. 30 and received 10,078 responses — just 20 percent of the eligible pool of more than 50,000 affiliates. The 2019 pilot survey accusing the University of permitting rampant antisemitism on its campus The survey found that just 47.5 percent of Jewish students and 50.8 percent of Muslim students said they felt comfortable expressing their opinions at Harvard — compared with 67.1 percent of Christian students and 77.3 percent of atheist students (Seventy-two percent of Jewish students and 57 percent of Muslim students reported feeling comfortable expressing their opinions in 2019.) Just more than 67 percent of Jewish and Muslim students respectively said they felt they belonged at the University compared to 82.7 percent of Christian students and 85.1 percent of Hindu students who reported the highest levels of belonging Jewish students reported the highest percentage of belonging among all religious groups at 79 percent — meaning the 2024 numbers represent a substantial drop Sixty-one percent of Muslim students reported feelings of belonging in 2019 The 2024 Pulse Survey reported metrics of belonging and inclusion alongside demographic information including race and ethnicity Absent from the 2024 survey was a question included in 2019 that asked: “I believe Harvard leadership will take appropriate action in response to incidents of harassment and discrimination.” University spokespeople declined to comment for this article The Pulse questionnaire assessed perceptions across four dimensions: sense of value Students identifying as Middle Eastern or North African consistently reported worse outcomes across nearly every dimension compared to students in other racial and ethnic groups Students in an “aggregated” category — which includes those who prefer to self-identify as well as American Indian and Pacific Islander students — generally reported the worst outcomes Just 70.1 percent of MENA students reported a sense of belonging — compared to 81.8 percent of white students and 83.5 percent of Hispanic or Latino students who reported the highest level of belonging — and only 54.2 percent said they could be their authentic selves at Harvard Only 45.3 percent of MENA students agreed that they felt comfortable expressing their opinions at Harvard the lowest among all racial and ethnic groups The survey found a slight increase in self-reported belonging among all students 78 percent of student respondents agreed with the statement “I feel like I belong at Harvard,” up from 74 percent in 2019 Faculty and academic personnel saw a smaller increase a majority of respondents reported feeling a strong sense of belonging,” Chief Community and Campus Life Officer Sherri A Charleston wrote in a letter accompanying the report the survey also reveals where we must redouble our efforts.” Harvard launched the survey in 2019 in response to recommendations by the Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging in a moment when universities were embracing diversity and inclusion initiatives and training a sharper eye on campus inequalities But the principles have fallen into political disfavor — and Harvard renamed its Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, weeks after the Trump administration demanded that it eliminate DEI programming The Pulse survey results were released in the same email that announced the change The survey report noted that nonresponse bias — especially among respondents who declined to share demographic information — could impact overall estimates “These respondents tend to report more negative experiences,” the report stated “The numbers reported pertain to the sample of respondents and may not necessarily be representative of the entire Harvard population which would require additional analyses of nonresponse.” The results were released one day before a separate set of measurements included in the long-awaited reports from Harvard’s antisemitism and Islamophobia task forces documented an atmosphere of fear and exclusion reported by Jewish The task forces conducted an informally distributed survey that drew nearly 2,300 responses running from May to August 2024 — concluding shortly before the Pulse survey began 56 percent of Muslim and 26 percent of Jewish student respondents reported feeling physically unsafe on campus — significantly higher than the 12 percent of Christian and 8 percent of atheist or agnostic students sharing those sentiments The Pulse survey did not poll respondents on their perception of physical safety But even as Harvard announced a slew of initiatives to foster — and draw boundaries around — free expression the Pulse survey showed that comfort in expressing opinions did not substantially change between respondents in 2019 and 2024 Only 68 percent of students and staff reported feeling comfortable expressing their opinions to others at Harvard that number was slightly lower at 62 percent “This data point aligns with the findings from other surveys,” Charleston wrote, citing a separate 2024 study by the University’s Open Inquiry and Constructive Dialogue Working Group which found that 45 percent of student respondents said they were reluctant to share their views on sensitive topics in class While most respondents felt they belonged at Harvard fewer said they had found connections across political lines said they had formed satisfying relationships with people holding different viewpoints Students across the political spectrum were all likely to say they felt they belonged and 76.0 percent of conservatives reporting belonging But conservatives were dramatically less likely to say they felt comfortable expressing their opinions with only 46.5 percent of conservative students — compared to 74.8 percent of liberals and 60.6 of moderates — agreeing with the statement Transgender and nonbinary students reported significantly higher levels of belonging on the 2024 survey But disparities persisted between cisgender and trans or nonbinary students with 60.9 percent of gender diverse students saying they felt like they could be like their authentic selves at Harvard compared to 75.6 percent of cisgender men and 73 percent of cisgender women The survey concluded before Donald Trump, a vocal opponent of transgender rights, won back the presidency and Republicans swept both houses of Congress. Since Trump’s inauguration, the federal government has rolled back protections for transgender people and effectively prohibited transgender women from participating in collegiate sports Slightly more than 80 percent of heterosexual students said they felt they belonged at Harvard compared to 74.5 percent of students who are not straight —Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @avaniiiirai —Staff writer Saketh Sundar can be reached at saketh.sundar@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @saketh_sundar The courts may get the last word on the Trump administration’s high-profile feud with Harvard University alleging that the move represents a violation of the First Amendment The case landed in Massachusetts federal court where a judge scheduled oral arguments for July 21 That means the dispute won’t be resolved until at least the summer it will more likely than not be appealed to the Supreme Court But Trump is raising the stakes in the meantime, declaring on Friday that he would also take away the university’s tax-exempt status accusing him of a “brazen and authoritarian” move: “The Trump administration’s punitive actions against Harvard are unlawful just as its actions against Columbia are unlawful the administration invoked Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as the basis for terminating grants and contracts yet the administration did not even make an effort to comply with the statute’s procedural or substantive requirements for such terminations “The attempt to control universities’ internal governance arrangements and academic programs also violates a slew of constitutional guarantees from free speech and due process to the separation of powers and limits on coercive spending conditions The illegality here is not subtle; it is brazen and authoritarian I expect that the Supreme Court would rule in favor of Harvard (and Columbia) if an appropriate challenge were to come before it.” who served as a lawyer and federal prosecutor before getting elected argued to Semafor that Trump generally has broad discretion over federal funding and can withhold it when he decides recipients are not meeting the necessary requirements: The executive has not only the power but the responsibility to make sure that the law is administered faithfully And insofar as he sees an entity otherwise entitled to receive federal funding not meeting the requirements for that funding he’s got discretion to make adjustments to that Those adjustments tend to be sort of in the moment If there were large swaths of funds in the abstract that he just didn’t spend then you get into a possible violation of the Impoundment Control Act “I’ve become less and less enamored with the Impoundment Control Act over time in part because of the fact that I think it runs into conflict with what I understand had always been the practice prior to [its passage] which was — presidents viewed appropriated sums as a ceiling if they could spend less than that sum they were permitted to So that’s why I think we’d be better off without the Impoundment Control Act Sign up for Semafor .css-w8sqnb{text-transform:capitalize;}principals TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need Quincey Reese is a TribLive reporter covering the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She also does reporting for the Penn-Trafford Star. A Penn Township native, she joined the Trib in 2023 after working as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the company for two summers. She can be reached at qreese@triblive.com Stay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE 1-800-909-8742 © 2025 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved About Us Advertise Career Opportunities Contact Advertising Contact Circulation Contact Newsroom Contact Us Feedback Request Correction Resource Center Scholarship Opportunities Send Letter to the Editor Send News Tip Subscribe Subscriber Services Blog eFeatures Email Newsletters eTrib Facebook Home Delivery Instagram LinkedIn Marketing Minute Store Locations TribLIVE App - App Store TribLIVE App - Google Play X (formerly Twitter) Arts & Entertainment Best of the Best Business Directory Circulars Contests Coronavirus Lifestyles Local News YaJagOff Obituaries Opinion Our Publications Photos Real Estate Sports Video Weather Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Service More than 80 Harvard faculty members pledged to donate 10 percent of their salaries for up to a year to support the University in its resistance against the Trump administration’s attempts to exact concessions and freeze billions in federal funding but faculty members’ commitments currently amount to more than $2 million The faculty sent a letter outlining their planned donation to University President Alan M “If we as a faculty are asking the University administration to resist the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom we should also be willing to share in the financial sacrifice that will be necessary,” Harvard Kennedy School professor Dani Rodrik ’79 The faculty members have yet to determine how the donations will be made or used including what programs they would support and whether the 10 percent cut would come in the form of a reduction to their salaries or a post-tax donation But the letter stated that faculty who signed the pledge would eventually vote on whether they feel the University would make a “good faith effort” to spend the donations supporting staff said that though the donations would be “a drop in the bucket,” he is trying to take any steps he can to support his colleagues The faculty also cited the unequal impact of Trump’s actions across University affiliates as a key reason for donating writing that students and untenured staff in certain programs have been more directly impacted by the frozen funding than tenured faculty The letter also acknowledged that not all faculty are in a position to donate portions of their annual income and stated that many non-donors were still “making important contributions” by helping students and staff directly Government and Sociology professor Theda R Skocpol said in an interview that though her pledge to donate was “significant money” for her and her husband she felt it was necessary to support Harvard in its efforts to defend “basic constitutional rights.” “The letter that the Trump administration sent to Harvard University is one of the most Stalinist things I’ve ever read and I’ve studied communist revolutions,” Skocpol said “It requires a firm and very broad response inside and beyond the universities.” Harvard’s latest DEI makeover demonstrates that the best offense is a stalwart defense On Monday, Harvard announced two key changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives: It will rename the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to “Community and Campus Life,” and it will no longer fund or host affinity celebrations during Commencement Given Washington’s grievances with all things DEI one may assume Harvard is merely doing what some of its compatriot institutions have done — accede to Trump full-throated rejection of Trump’s demands the new moves are far from an empty gesture of submission they represent a practical shift in Harvard’s approach helping to both better define the work of its office and to insulate itself from unnecessary criticism The changes will shore up Harvard’s image while retaining the more uncontroversial functions of DEI As Trump’s incursion against higher education has progressed schools like Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania have abandoned the language of DEI in appeasement of the White House amid threats of federal funding cuts With its filing of a lawsuit against the federal government Harvard proved its willingness to fight the Trump administration and its wildly overreaching demands — so why make conciliatory schemes now there is no value in giving in — Harvard has attempted to preserve its independence These decisions aren’t about appeasing Trump — they are about fighting him Like it or not, DEI — or any permutation of those three letters — is controversial. Recent polling suggests that Americans are deeply divided on DEI with a slim plurality supporting its elimination After a year and a half of abysmal public relations the last thing Harvard needs is to further invite criticism from half the American public we don’t need an office labeled “DEI” to have diversity on our campus As the White House makes demand after demand, Harvard needs every bit of public goodwill it can muster — seeking to be less divisive could be decisive. We wager many would be surprised to learn that some of the work done by Harvard’s DEI office seems remarkably uncontroversial and worth supporting, as we noted in an editorial last year Previous initiatives include a pre-orientation program that gives incoming first-generation and low-income first-years guidance on navigating Harvard and funding for more accurate medical textbooks for various body types that represent the wide range of human body types There is no reason for such work to fall victim to undeserved criticism As it continues its remodeling of the office Harvard should strive for increased transparency the University has been unforthcoming with details only offering language hinting at changes to come It should tell us precisely what its offices — DEI or by another name — do in order for judgements to be made we have already seen some judicious pruning of Harvard’s diversity work: the recent announcement that the University will no longer host or fund affinity graduations places for students to gather within their communities are undeniably a good thing — different groups face different challenges at Harvard and such spaces are a key resource for many affinity celebrations are not intended to override or replace Commencement — they simply provide a space for students and their families to celebrate The University specifically allocating funding to affinity celebrations necessitates a litigation: What groups and identities are deserving of their own ceremony We hope that the renaming of Harvard’s diversity office and the end of University-funded graduation ceremonies are a signal of a shift in DEI policy common-sense programs can continue without having their name tarred and feathered in the court of public opinion By removing fuel from the fires of controversy Harvard has increased its odds in the public relations sweepstakes Have a suggestion, question, or concern for The Crimson Editorial Board? Click here All-day cafe Daily Provisions is opening in Cambridge this summer If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy Union Square Hospitality Group, the NYC-based restaurant empire founded by famed restaurateur Danny Meyer, has something else in the works for Boston before the highly anticipated Seaport restaurants arrive later this year. The company will be opening a location of its fan-favorite all-day cafe, Daily Provisions The cafe is on track to open before the already announced Seaport locations of Daily Provisions and Italian restaurant Ci Siamo according to Daily Provisions president Zach Koff Daily Provisions is a neighborhood cafe and Harvard Square is one of the country’s celebrated neighborhoods,” Koff said in an email and plenty of new visitors — all of whom are curious smart and actively engaged — make it a perfect fit for Daily Provisions.” At the Harvard Square spot, customers can expect all the hits that put Daily Provisions on the map in New York City, including the excellent breakfast sandwiches with thick slabs of bacon, juicy roast chicken, and the widely sought-after French crullers There will be some Boston-specific menu items The summer opening marks the first time that Union Square Hospitality Group has expanded Daily Provisions outside of the New York City area. (A location in Jersey City opened in March.) The company is also working on another outpost of the cafe to open in Washington More than a month after Harvard University filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump for freezing its federal funding the President has come back with another financial swing against the university. “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Friday The immediate effect of Trump’s declaration is not immediately clear. Per U.S. law, it is illegal for the President and other senior officials to ask the IRS to “conduct or terminate an audit or other investigation of any particular taxpayer with respect to the tax liability of such taxpayer.” a New York University School of Law professor on tax policy called the announcement a “lawless action by the President.” “If the President can announce that he is revoking the tax-exempt status of a charity we have crossed a rubicon that has no clear end What will stop him or any President from weaponizing the IRS to intimidate any political opponents or groups he dislikes into silence?” she says. Harvard University was one of the first higher education institutions in recent weeks to stand firmly against the Trump Administration—which ordered the university to take on anti-DEI policies, among other measures. The school’s pushback has placed $2.2 billion in multi-year federal funding at risk and the Administration has threatened to pull another $1 billion in grants Federal funding exceeds the $2.4 billion distributed by Harvard’s endowment for the fiscal year ending in June 2024 which made up nearly 40% of the institution’s total operating revenue. Much of the university’s staff has cheered the university’s decision, with dozens of professors vowing to take pay cuts in order to help the university battle Trump in court. such as exceeding limits on lobbying and board members or executive directors using the charity for their personal gains. “The tax exemption means that more of every dollar can go toward scholarships for students lifesaving and life-enhancing medical research and technological advancements that drive economic growth There is no legal basis to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status,” a Harvard University spokesperson told TIME in an emailed statement. The IRS directed TIME to the Treasury Department for comment which did not immediately respond to a request. “Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission,” the Harvard spokesperson added “It would result in diminished financial aid for students abandonment of critical medical research programs The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.” For fiscal year 2024, Harvard distributed more than $749 million in financial aid and scholarships About 55% of Harvard undergraduates received need-based scholarships. Noem asked for Harvard’s records pertaining to foreign student visa holders, saying it would lose its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification if it did not comply. 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A Division of NBCUniversal Data also provided by Federal law prohibits president from directing or influencing the IRS to investigate or audit an organization Donald Trump said again on Friday that he would be “taking away” Harvard’s tax-exempt status as a non-profit in a legally questionable move that escalates his ongoing feud with the elite university “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status It’s what they deserve!” Trump wrote on Truth Social in a more direct message than a post in April when he said “perhaps” the college should lose its tax-exempt status Federal law prohibits the president from directing or influencing the Internal Revenue Service to investigate or audit an organization. The White House previously said that the IRS would “independently” decide whether to investigate or act on the university’s status. Harvard noted that the tax-exempt status given to universities makes it so more money can go toward scholarships “There is no legal basis to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status,” a university spokesperson said “Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission It would result in diminished financial aid for students The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.” His taskforce on the topic sent a letter of demands to Harvard saying the college had “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment” and must agree to policies like closing its diversity programs cooperating with immigration officials and banning face masks Harvard refused, with the university president, Alan Garber, saying Harvard “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights”. Trump responded by freezing $2.2bn in grants and $60m in contracts to the university Trump and his allies called for the university to lose its tax-exempt status Harvard is now attempting to walk a fine line. The college has in recent days renamed its office of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging to “community and campus life” and shared students’ information with immigration authorities, according to the Harvard Crimson Most US colleges and universities are granted tax-exempt status because they have educational missions Charities and religious groups often get this status as well This status means organizations do not have to pay taxes and allows people who donate to them to write off those donations on their taxes Tax-exempt organizations also must refrain from political campaign activity and cannot influence legislation go back into the organization rather than to individuals or shareholders Other non-profits have worried that Trump could seek to revoke their tax-exempt status. Several non-profit employees previously told the Guardian their organizations feared such overreach and have been cautious about their work because of it They also said they were not sure how they would defend themselves legally if Trump went after their status Legislation that passed the House would give the executive branch broad power to go after non-profits in the name of fighting “terrorism”. The so-called “non-profit killer bill” has not gone up for a vote in the Senate Harvard shared information with the Department of Homeland Security in response to its request for information on international students’ disciplinary records and illegal activity the University announced in a Wednesday evening email to affiliates It was not immediately clear whether Harvard provided all the requested records University Executive Vice President Meredith L Weenick ’90 wrote that Harvard had responded to the DHS’ request “to provide information required by law,” but a University spokesperson declined to specify what records had been shared The announcement comes almost two weeks after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent Harvard a letter threatening to revoke its authorization to host international students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program unless it shared international students’ data including records related to protest participation The DHS gave Harvard until Wednesday to respond to the demands “We take seriously the data retention and reporting obligations that enable participation in the SEVP,” Weenick wrote She wrote that Harvard “reiterated our steadfast commitment to sponsor the visas that facilitate our international students’ study” in its message to the DHS and “made clear” that it does not intend to withdraw from SEVP “Our participation in SEVP is unchanged at this time and any withdrawal by DHS of Harvard’s certification would be involuntary,” Weenick wrote The April 16 requests from the DHS included information regarding each visa holder’s “known deprivation of rights of other classmates” and “obstruction of the school’s learning environment,” along with any disciplinary actions “taken as a result of making threats to other students or populations or participating in protests.” Under Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations universities must provide the DHS with information on international students’ degree program and academic status — including withdrawal Universities are also required to report within 21 days any disciplinary action that they take against students because of criminal convictions current international students on University-sponsored visas will have to choose between transferring to a different institution according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website Weenick wrote in her email on Wednesday that Harvard is still currently enrolled in SEVP and that “any withdrawal by DHS of Harvard’s certification would be involuntary.” “For our students and scholars from abroad we encourage you to continue to stay as focused as possible on your academic pursuits,” she wrote In the weeks since Harvard received Noem’s letter, hundreds of affiliates — including international undergraduates and the Harvard Undergraduate Association student body co-presidents — had urged the University not to comply with the demands laid out in the letter Several legal experts previously told The Crimson that Harvard should consider suing the DHS over its demands. Harvard has already filed a lawsuit against nine federal agencies over $2.2 billion in federal funding cuts to the University —Staff writer Samuel A. Church can be reached at samuel.church@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @samuelachurch —Staff writer Cam N. Srivastava can be reached at cam.srivastava@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @camsrivastava Harvard needed more than 300 pages to detail the Jew-hatred festering on its campus Let’s start the clock with what I saw in the year I was at Harvard as a visiting scholar Long after it was promised, this week Harvard released its antisemitism report under pressure from the Trump administration. It is 311 pages Let\u2019s start the clock with what I saw in the year I was at Harvard as a visiting scholar. Columbiana High School senior Summer Sinsley is one of the 3 percent worldwide applicants to be accepted to attend Harvard University. Sinsley, an open enrollment student from Perry Township, will major in astrophysics or mathematics. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi) COLUMBIANA — Summer Sinsley has been a Clipper the majority of her school life — and she credits that school family for helping her achieve her collegiate goal. Sinsley, daughter of Russ Sinsley and Candace Stith of Perry Township, is one of Ohio’s open enrollment success stories. She has been accepted to attend Harvard University, among only 3 percent of applicants accepted worldwide. A formal announcement was held Thursday at the high school. “I have had countless late nights of studying, activities and applications to get me to this spot,” Summer explained. “Yet nothing can prepare you for the surge of excitement and disbelief that follows a ‘Congratulations’ on the top of your Harvard decision letter.” Columbiana schools Superintendent Dr. Donald Mook admitted that it is difficult to articulate the enormity of this accomplishment. Summer Sinsley stands outside Harvard University, where she is to attend in fall to study astrophysics and mathematics. Sinsley is an open enrollment student at Columbiana and daughter of Russ Sinsley and Candace Stith of Perry Township. (Submitted photo) “Summer has been a beloved and esteemed part of the Clipper family and we know (that) she will continue to represent her family and the community well in the next chapter of her academic career,” he added. Summer also participated in the high school theater program all four years, serving as stage manager the last three years and a student director her junior and senior years. She acknowledged that her participation in music did improve her academic follow-through. In addition, Sinsley participated on the high school speech and debate all four years, serving as captain during her junior and senior years, as well as Academic Challenge with the team qualifying for nationals. Summer Sinsley had a varying experience while attending Columbiana High School. Pictured here, she participated with the high school theater program, serving as a stage manager since her sophomore year and a student director in her junior and senior year. Sinsley has been notified by Harvard University that she was accepted to attend college there. (Submitted photo) Other extracurriculars include the K8LPS Radio and Interact clubs as well as National Honor Society and serving as a peer tutor during her junior year in chemistry. She has completed Advanced Placement (AP) classes in English, government and calculus plus Kent State University College Credit Plus classes; however, she won’t receive credit for coursework at Harvard. Her interest in astrophysics began in sixth-grade, when Summer completed a gifted project that examined worm holes and time travel. She recalled, “I checked out a lot of books from the library,” adding that she is more interested in theoretical research than going to space herself. Thanks to all her hard work, Summer has received the Harvard Faculty Scholarship. Her father, Russ Sinsley, concluded, “We know that she will achieve great success and we are excited for her opportunity at Harvard.” SALEM — After a 14-year hiatus, the Heritage Ohio’s Building Doctor is returning to Salem, It has a new look, ... PERRY TOWNSHIP — The board of trustees discussed repairs to the township’s salt building in its meeting ... LISBON — A Youngstown man convicted for soliciting sexual conduct from an undercover agent in 2022 has been ... Copyright © 2025 Ogden News Publishing of Ohio, Inc.: | https://www.salemnews.net | 161 North Lincoln, Salem, OH 44460 | My NewsSign Out Sign InCreate your free profileSections news Alerts “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status While the IRS has the authority to do exactly what Trump wants his social media post targeting Harvard adds a potentially complicating wrinkle “There’s a way they could do this,” Genevieve Lakier a First Amendment expert at the University of Chicago Law School said of the IRS stripping Harvard of its existing tax status but “it can’t be at the behest of President Trump.” Lakier, who called Trump’s social media post “dumb” and “not helpful,” pointed to a law barring the president and other government officials from directing the IRS to investigate taxpayers as a major obstacle It’s not the first time the president has threatened Harvard as part of his broader crusade against educational institutions that he believes do not support his agenda. “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’” Trump said on Truth Social last month Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” a tax law professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law agreed that “it does not help that the president is politicizing this.” “It raises the question that he’s directing this,” and suggests the move is “about retribution” and “vengeance” instead of public policy which is something Harvard could use in its defense attorney specializing in nonprofit organizations said the IRS would face an “uphill climb” if it decided to move ahead against Harvard — one that could potentially take years said in a statement after Trump’s post that the school would fight any action by the administration to change its status The government has “long exempted universities from taxes in order to support their educational mission,” he said and revoking that status “would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission.” “The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America,” Newton said The White House did not respond to a request for comment Students on the campus of Harvard University on April 18.Mostafa Bassim / Anadolu via Getty Images fileTax-exempt status allows institutions to forgo certain taxes and for their donors to take deductions when they make gifts to them The statute Lakier pointed to is titled: “Prohibition on executive branch influence over taxpayer audits and other investigations.” The 1998 law says, “It shall be unlawful for any applicable person” —defined as the president the vice president or any employees of their offices — “to request any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service to conduct or terminate an audit or other investigation of any particular taxpayer with respect to the tax liability of such taxpayer.” where there are efforts at influence by the president,” Lakier said If Trump were to argue that he didn’t direct the action but rather that he announced something that was already happening independent of him — that would also be problematic, because what “he is clearly trying do is intimidate Harvard,” which is already suing his administration for cutting off federal funding “This reasonably looks like a threat” and is “still unconstitutional,” Lakier said “The First Amendment clearly prohibits government officials from threatening to suppress speech,” she said a position the Supreme Court reiterated last year in a case involving a New York official’s attempt to pressure the National Rifle Association As for whether the IRS could strip Harvard of its long-held status, McCaffery said, “I think this could happen, in the sense that the IRS could initiate moves and actions to take away Harvard’s status.” He noted it’s happened before, when the IRS denied tax-exempt status to Bob Jones University, a private school that had banned interracial dating on campus and barred admission to people in interracial marriages. The Supreme Court upheld the agency’s decision in 1983. McCaffery noted that the case began as an investigation during the Nixon administration in the 1970s and wasn’t resolved until the Reagan administration. Tenenbaum said the Jones case is still “the current court standard for how this has to be done.” The IRS has to conduct an audit, or “examination” of the institution, which can take months or over a year. If it decides the institution’s status should be revoked, the entity can essentially appeal that finding to the IRS, Tenenbaum said. If the institution loses that appeal, its status would be revoked, but it could challenge that finding in the federal court system, where there could be additional appeals. “Presuming the law is followed, that’s the only way for the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status,” Tenenbaum said. “There’s no shortcut.” McCaffery said any IRS move to revoke the status would likely focus on the administration’s claims that the university has a record of antisemitism and has not discontinued diversity, equity and inclusion programs as the government has demanded. “They will have to convince the court that specifically what Harvard is doing is violating public policy” and “not political preference,” he said, adding that he’s “skeptical” the agency would be able to do so, especially if Trump keeps weighing in on social media. “Glib references and making it seem like the president is fighting with the board of trustees is not helpful,” McCaffery said. “When Trump starts weighing in unilaterally, he almost always undercuts arguments his own administration would want to make in court.” Dareh GregorianDareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.