‘This is undermining the United States.’

On Monday, Harvard declined requests from the Trump administration that connect $9 billion in federal aid to changes in University governance and hiring practices, viewpoint “evaluations” of academic departments, students, and faculty, as well as additional measures.

Of the funding, over $2 billion was suspended just hours after Harvard’s response to the requests, which supports research that “has resulted in significant advancements across a broad spectrum of medical, engineering, and scientific domains,” according to a statement sent by President Alan Garber to the Harvard community on Monday afternoon.

The administration has pointed to worries regarding antisemitism on campuses as justification for its decision to freeze funding at Harvard and several other institutions of higher education.

On Tuesday, we gathered responses to the funding reductions in discussions throughout the campus.

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“I believe fundamentally, it violates our rights as individuals and researchers and scientists — and as a university as a whole,” stated Xie, whose research centers on quantum computing among other topics.

Like many peers and scholars, she is concerned that significant funding reductions at institutions like Harvard may slow, or in some situations completely stop, scientific advancement.

“Universities play a critical role as that’s where a considerable amount of research occurs,” she remarked. “There are businesses and startups involved in this type of work, but I genuinely feel that the fundamental research is primarily conducted at universities, fostering pioneering work that enables us to not only enhance our understanding of the platforms I engage with but also facilitates their application in real-world scenarios.”

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“I believe there’s a much larger task at hand, and that is for all those opposed to the dramatic and, in my perspective, perilous decisions being made by the new administration to voice their concerns,” remarked Tyrie, who is focusing on regulatory reforms in advanced Western nations during his time at the Kennedy School.

Everyone involved in academia and public affairs should be appalled by the stance taken by the Trump administration, he expressed.

“And naturally, as a non-U.S. citizen, I am worried about the broader implications globally — both for economic growth and prosperity, as well as for security and stability,” he added. “What I’m not advocating is for individuals to speak out purely for the world’s sake, but to advocate in the interest of the United States of America. This is undermining the United States and jeopardizing the well-being and security of millions of Americans.”

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“I examine, to some extent, authoritarian regimes, and I believe that some of what we are witnessing — while not equivalent to complete authoritarianism — is beginning to mirror it concerning attempts to have the government control the ideas that are taught, that may be expressed and that shouldn’t be expressed,” remarked Cherniss. “I think it’s vital that Harvard and other universities resist capitulating to what is evidently an attack on academic freedom and university autonomy.”

Cherniss specializes in political theory, particularly in discussing defenses and critiques of liberalism. He fears the repercussions of funding suspensions on his fellow scholars both within and outside his domain.

“We may have to eliminate much of the most socially beneficial work we undertake in medical sciences and technology — initiatives that have genuinely enhanced America and benefit the world in practical terms,” he cautioned.