The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism issued a statement today criticizing Harvard University for what it describes as a failure to address race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment on its campus. The statement highlights the university's "long-standing policy and practice of discriminating on the basis of race," referencing the Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, where Harvard was rebuked for unlawful race discrimination in admissions.
According to the task force, Jewish students at Harvard have faced "pervasive insults, physical assault, and intimidation" without adequate response from university leadership. The statement also criticizes the Harvard Law Review (HLR) for alleged racial discrimination in its article evaluations and condemns a $65,000 fellowship awarded to an individual facing criminal charges for assaulting a Jewish student.
The task force asserts that Harvard has shifted from being a symbol of academic prestige to "a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination." It accuses institutional leaders of prioritizing appeasement over accountability, leading to the termination of approximately $450 million in federal grants by eight government agencies. This action follows the termination of an additional $2.2 billion last week.
The task force supports these funding cuts as part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to combat discrimination at institutions receiving public funds. It states its commitment to eliminating discrimination, hate, and bigotry at such institutions and warns that Harvard faces significant challenges in reclaiming its reputation as a center of academic excellence.
