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Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

harvard.edu

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Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#591

Post by zanellato19 »

hayst4ck wrote: post #465
kweingar wrote: post #224

The aggregate demands of the administration are confusing and contradictory. They seem to be simultaneously asking for: - an end to diversity initiatives - a new diversity initiative for diverse points of view - a new policy of not admitting international students with certain points of view - ending speech-control policies - auditing the speech of certain departments and programs - ending discipline of students who…

Authoritarian governments are arbitrary governments, all decisions are made arbitrarily. Consistency is unnecessary. That's the trouble with choosing power as a guiding principle over reason or consent.

Consistency is undesirable, because if everyone is breaking a law, you apply the hammer of justice only if they aren't a friend.

It's one of the best ways to look good to certain people as well,because you can claim to be just following the law.

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#592

Post by anonfordays »

UncleMeat wrote: post #477
kweingar wrote: post #224

The aggregate demands of the administration are confusing and contradictory. They seem to be simultaneously asking for: - an end to diversity initiatives - a new diversity initiative for diverse points of view - a new policy of not admitting international students with certain points of view - ending speech-control policies - auditing the speech of certain departments and programs - ending discipline of students who…

It makes sense if you understand that they aren't focused on general principles. Diversity is bad when it involves non-whites, women, gay people or research involving these groups. Diversity is good when it involves "race realists." Free speech is bad when students are advocating for divestment initiatives. Free speech is good when a professor calls somebody the n-word online. The goal is white supremacy and antifemi…

[flagged]

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#593

Post by wmf »

tootie wrote: post #423
__jl__ wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the 9 billion is very misleading. More than half goes to hospitals affiliated with Harvard. I am not sure but I don't think they get anything from the endowment. The impact of loosing this money would be very uneven across different parts of the university and hospitals affiliated with it. The faculty of arts and science would be fine. Yes, some cuts, a hiring freeze etc. The med school and public health scho…

Yeah this isn't purely a question of Harvard's P&L being dependent on subsidies. The money in question is grants attached to specific practices or research. The money isn't just gratuity for Harvard being so great, it's awarded for specific objectives that Harvard was deemed capable of delivering. Cutting off the money isn't going to hurt Harvard, it's going to stop all the programs the grants were funding.

Stopping those research programs is a choice. They could also choose to pay for them out of the endowment.

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#594

Post by OhioMan2943 »

greasegum wrote: post #76

It's just words, obviously contradicted by many of Harvard's recent actions, but all I can think is what a fucking lay-up. If only Columbia's administration had half a spine they would have responded similarly.

Columbia's administration obviously has no issues silencing free speech and dissent based on their actions though.

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#595

Post by triceratops »

bedhead wrote: post #492

One framework I like to use is, “If this thing didn’t exist today, and someone proposed it, how would people react to it?” I think it’s fair to say that if none of this existed today, and someone proposed that the federal government simply give universities like Harvard seemingly endless billions, it would be laughed out of existence by republicans and democrats alike. All of this is the product of inertia at best, c…

"If thing doesn't exist, gets proposed, gets laughed out of the room, good idea" is your framework? It doesn't sound like a good framework.

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#596

Post by imgabe »

Braxton1980 wrote: post #589
onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LoL - why it makes any sense to do this for universities and not billionaires is beyond me, but I'm sure half the country can explain it to me like I'm 5.

The current admin is openly anti-intellectual. Edit: "We need to attack the universities in this country" "The professors are the enemy" Specific clip https://www.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/1ichg58/ya... If you want the full speech it's on YT so if you reply with "context" you should back that up

Current universities are openly anti intellectual.

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#597

Post by rtp4me »

acmj wrote: post #587
bretpiatt wrote: post #32

With their endowment above $50 billion, combined with Federal plus Non-Federal sponsored revenue at 16% of operating budget, it makes sense to me they just forgo Federal funds and operate independently. If all 16% is canceled, then they'd need to draw an additional $1 billion per year from endowment at current budget levels. That would put them above 7% draw so potentially unsustainable for perpetuity, historically t…

People here have little idea about how Harvard works. Harvard is financially vulnerable. It is currently running on a deficiency considering the endowment. And Harvard can't freely use most endowment for personnels anyway. If the government takes away funding, Harvard will have a financial crisis. I guess the leadership made the decision in hope someone could stop the government before bad things happen but when bad…

With $50B in the endowment, how are they financially vulnerable? Honest question.

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#598

Post by arrosenberg »

janalsncm wrote: post #560
arrosenberg wrote: post #539

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do they ask for your political ideology on the Harvard application?

No, which is why it’s so surprising so few are able to get in.

How can we know that without knowing how many apply? How many 18 year-olds even have a real ideology? I know mine shifted a lot during college.

Re: Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes

#600

Post by kristjansson »

hnburnsy wrote: post #507
paulpauper wrote: post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

80% of the endowment funds are heavily restricted as per donor requests and cannot be used unconditionally.

Could you give us some of these restrictions? This seems like a BS excuse to not support the students.

This is absolutely par for the course for university endowments. They're not big pots of money, they're thousands of small pots of money with various restrictions on their investment, disbursement, etc.
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