As a federal judge rules in Harvard’s favor, the campus community is warily optimistic
*** This article has been updated to add a statement from Harvard University President Alan Garber.
Jordan Schwartz sat in his dorm room at Harvard University on Wednesday evening when his Apple Watch lit up.
A notification appeared on his screen, one he'd been waiting weeks for: a federal judge's decision ruling in Harvard's favor , restoring nearly $3 billion in federal funding to the university.
"I have a tradition in my group chat of competing against my friend to see who can send the article first," Schwartz said.
"I won — and so did Harvard," he said.
Students and researchers who spoke with MassLive following the news of the federal judge's decision overwhelmingly spoke positively about the ruling. However, all expressed continued fears about what the future holds for their institution.
Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in an evening letter that while the university acknowledges the "important principles affirmed in today's ruling, we will continue to assess the implications of the opinion, monitor further legal developments, and be mindful of the changing landscape in which we seek to fulfill our mission."
"A lot of the damage has already been done, and that damage is going to take a long time to repair," said John Quakenbush, a Harvard researcher.
Research has had to be paused, researchers have already been let go and are looking for jobs elsewhere and doctoral student classes have been reduced, Quakenbush said.
John Quakenbush is a Professor of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also the Chair of the Department of Biostatistics.(Courtesy Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
That being said, he is relieved that the judge ruled in Harvard's favor and grateful to the institution for fighting against the Trump administration.
"I share Judge Burroughs's view that we must fight antisemitism and all forms of hatred. But taking an indiscriminate wrecking ball to the university is no solution — and I am thankful she made that clear," he said.
The ruling comes amid talks of a potential deal between the federal government and Harvard, which have been looming for months. President Donald Trump told U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a cabinet meeting that the federal government shouldn't negotiate with Harvard.
"We want nothing less than $500 million from Harvard," he said. "Don't negotiate, Linda. They've been very bad."
Concerns about the future
Judge Allison Burroughs' decision on Wednesday in favor of Harvard is the "first step in a long journey," according to Quakenbush.
"I think this is a really good and positive sign, but just having this ruling handed down doesn't mean that the situation is going to go back to what it was like before," he said.
He recognizes that the ruling will likely face an appeal from the Trump administration, which could be taken up to the Supreme Court and ultimately be held up in the courts .
And, even if the funding would come back to Harvard and not be held up in the courts, Quakenbush said he doesn't know how long it would take to be in Harvard's hands.
"This is long-term damage to the scientific and research infrastructure in the United States," Quakenbush said.
Rita Hamad is a social epidemiologist and director of the Social Policies for Health Equity Research Center at the Harvard School of Public Health.Courtesy
Rita Hamad, a Harvard researcher, said she has concerns that the Trump administration might appeal or "throw up more roadblocks."
However, she is cautiously optimistic that it is a step forward in restoring funding for scientific research at Harvard — and that it is a model for other institutions of higher learning that are facing similar threats.
"I'm relieved by the court's decision, since my team lost millions of dollars in NIH funding that we were awarded through a rigorous review process. This money supports our vital research on how social policies affect mental health, heart disease and dementia risk," she said.
A ruling in Harvard's favor could also mean that the Trump administration attempts to appeal a separate lawsuit filed by Harvard.
In that lawsuit, Burroughs previously blocked the Trump administration's efforts to prevent the school from hosting international students. Trump has said the administration would appeal if she rules for Harvard in the fight over its federal funding.
Impact on negotiating a deal?
Burroughs' decision gives Harvard more ammunition to not make a deal with the Trump administration — showing that the federal government's actions were illegal, according to Harvard junior Clyve Lawrence.
"I think it just makes clear that the attempts at Trump targeting higher education are unfounded and incredibly harmful to the mission of universities like Harvard," Lawrence said.
He said that the $500 million number posed by the Trump administration is another example of it being a "purely political" attack on Harvard.
Abdullah Shahid Sial, a Harvard University sophomore from Lahore, Pakistan, pictured in front of the Statue of John Harvard at the Cambridge, Mass., campus.(Will Katcher/MassLive)
Harvard junior Abdullah Shahid Sial, co-president of the student body, agreed.
"I hope Harvard sees this as a sign to stand their ground and not give in to unjust demands of the Trump administration in pursuit of a deal, especially since they have a much better footing in the courts now. Any deal legitimizes the undemocratic demands of the Trump regime and can be seen as hypocritical on Harvard's part, primarily because of their extremely vocal opposition in the beginning," he said.
A rally opposing a deal is scheduled to take place at Harvard on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., according to Schwartz, an organizer with Harvard Students For Freedom, which opposes the Trump administration's actions toward the university due, in part, to its interference with academic freedom.
"This definitely gives a little more footing to stand on to show — look, it can be accomplished through the courts," he said.
Jordan Schwartz is a student at Harvard University and is part of Students for Freedom, a student group.Mark McDonald
If Harvard were to make a deal with the Trump administration, it would set a scary precedent across higher education, he said.
"If Harvard folds now, then frankly, there's no institution in America that has as much power as Harvard does," Schwartz said.
"No one else could stand up in the same way Harvard has tried to," he said.
More Higher Ed
Read the original article on MassLive .
