The Trump administration is pressuring Harvard University to accept a settlement to end a series of federal investigations into alleged antisemitism on campus. The penalty could be much higher than the 200 million USD that Columbia University agreed to pay last week to settle with the federal government, two sources familiar with the matter told AP on 29/7.
These negotiation efforts are occurring alongside Harvard's lawsuit in Massachusetts to restore access to billions of USD in federal research funding that has been frozen by the Trump administration.
Sources say any settlement to end the investigations related to allegations of antisemitism on campus could reach hundreds of millions of USD. One source revealed that Harvard has shown willingness to pay 500 million USD to settle.
Harvard officials have not commented on this information. President Trump declared last week that the university "wants to settle," but said it was not "handling the situation" as well as Columbia University.
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Harvard University students and faculty protest in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA on 17/1. Photo: AP |
Harvard University students and faculty protest in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA on 17/1. Photo: AP
Columbia University announced on 23/7 that it reached a settlement of more than 220 million USD to restore federal funding after months of negotiations. The university will pay 200 million USD to the government over three years and spend an additional 21 million USD to settle the investigations.
The Trump administration is using the Columbia settlement as a model for other universities, with financial penalties considered a key condition. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the Columbia agreement a "model roadmap" for others, saying it would have a ripple effect across higher education and change campus culture for years to come.
Previously, civil rights investigations conducted by the US Department of Education typically ended with voluntary agreements to change internal school regulations, rarely accompanied by financial penalties. Even when the government imposed financial penalties, the amounts were much smaller than the Trump administration's approach.
Last year, the US Department of Education fined Liberty University 14 million USD for failing to report campus crimes. This was the highest penalty ever imposed under the Clery Act on campus safety. In 2019, Michigan State University was fined 4.5 million USD for its mishandling of sexual abuse allegations.
The US is investigating dozens of universities for alleged antisemitism or discrimination through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Several universities have had federal funding frozen similar to Harvard, including more than one billion USD at Cornell University and 790 million USD at Northwestern University.
Thanh Danh (According to AP, TOI)
