Harvard president Alan Mr. Garber ’76 signed a statement denounced “Tuesday the government of the unprecedented government” in higher education.
The Declaration – published by the American Association of Colleges and Universities – was signed by the leaders of nearly 190 other universities, including all the schools of the Ivy League with the exception of Dartmouth College.
In the declaration, Garber and other signatories called for a “constructive commitment” with the White House which would avoid putting research and academic activities in danger.
“We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose the legitimate surveillance of the government,” the statement said. “However, we must oppose an excessive intrusion by the government in the lives of those who learn, live and work on our campuses.”
Tuesday’s declaration arrives more than a week after Garber rejected publicly Requests from the Trump administration and a day after Harvard has filed a legal action contesting the legality of a Reduction in financing of $ 2.2 billion.
The Harvard stand attracted a strong support from colleges and universities nationwide. In the day of Garber’s decision to challenge the requests, the leaders of the Princeton University, the Columbia University and the University of Stanford full throat defenses de Harvard.
Garber’s decision to sign the letter also marks the first example of Harvard openly joining institutions by peers to directly challenge the Trump administration. The university has already supported the proceedings brought by other schools Thanks to supporting memos.
But he has never assumed the role of a co-plaing himself, rather opting to be represented by his affiliations with umbrella groups, such as the American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities. And Harvard leaders have refrained from signing previous public statements where the deans and presidents of other schools condemned the actions of the administration.
In Tuesday’s declaration, Garber and other signatories also discussed the presence of immigration and customs officials on university campuses, writing that threats of deportation stifled the academic discourse.
“Our colleges and universities share a commitment to serve as open investigation centers where, in their pursuit of truth, teachers, students and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions through a full range of points of view without fear of reprisals, censorship or deportation,” said the press release.
Harvard reported that 12 recent students and graduates had their Visas revoked Since President Donald Trump took office in January – just a small fraction of the more than 1,000 students who have passed their visas across the country.
The Tuesday letter is not the first time that university leaders have rally rally against Trump – and behind Harvard. Last week, nearly 90 former university presidents publicly approved Garber’s decision to challenge Trump’s “authoritarian incursion”.
– The writer of staff Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on x @dhruvtkpatel.
– the staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at Grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow it on x @graceunkyoon.