Harvard Professor Union Opposes Any Deal Between Trump and the School
“Members have held rallies, signed petitions, and published op-eds decrying Trump’s attacks on institutional independence.”
This is just fine. Let Harvard make it on their own with no help from the federal government. Let them have it their way.
The Boston Globe reports:
Harvard professor union will ‘strongly’ oppose any deal between school and Trump, members say
Harvard’s hundreds of unionized professors are pushing the university not to make any deal with President Trump in its deepening dispute with the White House, and they say they hope to flex their increasing organizing prowess to oppose threats to academic freedom.
The work of Harvard’s professor union could be a test for the chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has seen its membership on campus swell to about 300 this spring as faculty grew concerned about the ousting of Middle Eastern studies leaders and changes to DEI practices. The association has traditionally been more active at public universities, where US labor laws give its members collective bargaining rights they lack at private institutions such as Harvard.
Now, with the university in secretive negotiations as it seeks to stave off billions of dollars in federal aid cuts, professors say they’re prepared to do what it takes to protect their academic freedoms.
Already, the group is pursuing multiple legal challenges to the Trump administration. Members have held rallies, signed petitions, and published op-eds decrying Trump’s attacks on institutional independence.
“I expect that the AAUP and the faculty will react very strongly against any sort of deal, precisely because the independence of the university is vital to everything we do,” said classics professor Richard Thomas, an at-large member of Harvard’s AAUP chapter.
Union members say they’re concerned about the university’s approach to its talks with Trump. Though the president has said Harvard has come back to the table in hopes of resolving a months-long dispute, Harvard leadership has not publicly commented, and AAUP members who spoke with the Globe said school administrators have not included the group in any negotiations with the White House.
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“I expect that the AAUP and the faculty will react very strongly against any sort of deal, precisely because the independence of the university is vital to everything we do,” said classics professor Richard Thomas, an at-large member of Harvard’s AAUP chapter.’
I don’t think he understands the word independence. By removing taxpayer dollars, the university WILL be independent.
Yes, professors! Make no concessions! Resist with the last fiber of your beings, resist to the end!
Your reward will be a free cigarette.
we are independent if you dont count any tax funding
I would imagine some of the heated debates between the “Arts & Letters” professors, who generally do not directly depend on Federal grants, and the professors of some useful professions (math, physics, engineering, medicine, …) that probably have significant dependence on Federal grants. I hope that someone is making videos documenting the debates so that the hoi polloi, such as myself, can watch, be entertained, and eat popcorn.
Then protect your “integrity”, such that it is, and resign.
What’s the difference between a Harvard professor and an Islamic fundamentalist? One is a bug-eyed, foamy-mouthed fanatic. The other is a guy who lives in the Middle East.
I don’t imagine that any of these professors are willing to adopt the Hillsdale model of forgoing all federal dollars to maintain their “integrity.”
The fact that the professors union opposes ANY agreement with the Administration compels the conclusion that the university should reach an agreement with the Administration. It’s not too hard to figure out the appropriate contours of an agreement. Harvard needs to establish a zero tolerance policy for antisemitism (which includes a sharp distinction between permitted criticism of Israeli policies and prohibited advocacy that Israel should not exist or other demonization of israel e.g. bullsh** genocide accusations), Harvard needs to make sure that proponents of antisemitism are not hired as instructors or admitted as foreign students, and Harvard has to make a reasonable effort to achieve diversity of viewpoint and thought across disciplines. In return for Harvard’s putting those policies in place, the federal government relaxes any insistence that it appoint a receiver to govern Harvard — which is where this is headed if Harvard does not come to its senses — and funding is restored over time contingent on Harvard continued compliance.
“… American Association of University Professors, which has seen its membership on campus swell to about 300….”
A real groundswell. 300 is the numerator. As of 2022, the denominator of that fraction was 2,455, so 300 would represent a bit over 10%. That means that nearly 90% have remained rational. Frankly, for Harvard, even that comes as a surprise.
Great. A 10% minority of professors—most not directly affected by federal funding—proudly proclaim their leftist politics by holding the rest of the University hostage. They can feel virtuous. Meanwhile, even if it destroys the greater part of the University, it won’t be their problem. This is akin to those white, well-to-do students who demand yet more admissions preference to under-qualified minorities—hey, they already got in, so why not impose more social justice on someone else? This demonstrates the problem of too much campus democracy: those with shorter-term, more localized interests try to pressure and outvote those with a long-term interest in the institution. It’s how Harvard and other schools got into this trouble in the first place.