LEILA FADEL, HOST:
In the battle between the Trump administration and the world's wealthiest university, Harvard could lose even more federal funding. A federal investigation says the school violated civil rights law by failing to protect Jewish students on campus. Here's NPR's Elissa Nadworny.
ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: In a letter summarizing the findings, the Trump administration told Harvard they had been, quote, "deliberately indifferent" and in some cases, quote, "a willful participant" in antisemitic harassment of Jewish students, faculty and staff. The investigation, which was released on Monday, was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights. And its findings outline the violations that occurred on campus since October 7, 2023.
CARL TOBIAS: It seems that HHS is attempting to ramp up pressure ahead of a possible settlement with Harvard.
NADWORNY: Carl Tobias is a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia. He points out that the findings come after President Trump said on social media that a deal between the university and the administration was in the works. The federal investigation released this week cites examples of Jewish and Israeli students being harassed, campus vandalism and examples of the university failing to punish students in groups who violated codes of conduct.
The report says its findings show a pattern of, quote, "unlawful and unchecked discrimination." In a statement, a Harvard spokesperson said the university is far from indifferent and strongly disagrees with the government's findings. The school pointed to a number of steps it has taken to better protect against antisemitism and support Jewish students, including updating its campus rules, reviewing discipline policies and expanding training on antisemitism across campus.
Harvard has admitted it needs work on this issue. Earlier this year, the school's own task force found many opportunities for improvement. That report was cited heavily in the federal review released Monday. But the administration says Harvard has done too little too late to remedy violations, and the next step is for the U.S. Department of Justice to take up the issue. Meanwhile, negotiations between the school and the Trump administration continue to avoid Harvard losing more federal funding. It's already had more than $2 billion frozen and is currently suing the administration. A hearing for that case is set for later in July.
Elissa Nadworny, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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