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I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

scottaaronson.blog

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Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#11

Post by aduffy »

> By taking this scorched-earth route, the government has effectively telegraphed to all the other universities, as clearly as possible: “actually, we don’t care what you do or don’t do on antisemitism. We just want to destroy you, and antisemitism was our best available pretext".

Yep. Glad everyone is starting to realize this. What we're seeing has nothing to do with antisemitism, it is a blatant attempt to seize ideological control of every single cultural institution of American Power. Nothing that happened at a campus protest can justify the all-out assault on 1A that is happening now.

I applaud Harvard for standing up, but to be honest, anything less (e.g. Columbia's complete capitulation) is simply spineless and unseemly for any mega-endowed university.

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#12

Post by metalliqaz »

amazingamazing wrote: post #6

Private colleges shouldn't be taking public money to begin with. Hopefully this ends with colleges having their (private college) tax exempt status revoked. Anyone who's been to Massachusetts knows how much real estate Harvard (and MIT, and BU, and Boston College, etc, etc.) owns. Why should they be tax exempt? End it now. Also, Trump's demands are silly and not even internally consistent.

End what? The government paying for research? I think that's a foolish idea.

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#13

Post by glial »

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #10
amazingamazing wrote: post #6

Private colleges shouldn't be taking public money to begin with. Hopefully this ends with colleges having their (private college) tax exempt status revoked. Anyone who's been to Massachusetts knows how much real estate Harvard (and MIT, and BU, and Boston College, etc, etc.) owns. Why should they be tax exempt? End it now. Also, Trump's demands are silly and not even internally consistent.

They are both colleges (educational institutions) and research institutions. For decades or more, research in the USA has been a central function of government (although it also happens in a few entirely privately funded organizations). That's what (most) of the public money is for, and there is no sane reason to stop that.

Yes - there is another HN discussion active today on the topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43692360

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#14

Post by [deleted] »

slackfan wrote: post #9

What crisis the Universities endowment bigger than ever. What's losing a few federal dollars gonna do. Oh wait the admin staff is in danger that decided to quadruple their positions and give themselves raises as they torpedoed The quality of education and services on campus. They deserves everything it's getting and more. I say this as somebody that Was a student there and worked for the university.

[deleted]

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#17

Post by JumpCrisscross »

"...once the government did take away funding and present its ultimatum—completely outside the process specified in Title VI law—Columbia’s administration quickly agreed to everything asked, to howls of outrage from the left-leaning faculty. Yet despite its total capitulation, the government has continued to hold Columbia’s medical research and other science funding hostage, while inventing a never-ending list of additional demands..."

I missed this. Good call out.

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#18

Post by unethical_ban »

amazingamazing wrote: post #6

Private colleges shouldn't be taking public money to begin with. Hopefully this ends with colleges having their (private college) tax exempt status revoked. Anyone who's been to Massachusetts knows how much real estate Harvard (and MIT, and BU, and Boston College, etc, etc.) owns. Why should they be tax exempt? End it now. Also, Trump's demands are silly and not even internally consistent.

Are you suggesting that the government should not fund research, or that only state-operated universities should get government funding?

Furthermore, none of this has to do with an ideological take on "private universities and public funds". This is about Trump controlling the speech and behavior of every institution he can, through defunding and through blackmail.

Re: I speak at Harvard as it faces its biggest crisis since 1636

#20

Post by nkassis »

amazingamazing wrote: post #6

Private colleges shouldn't be taking public money to begin with. Hopefully this ends with colleges having their (private college) tax exempt status revoked. Anyone who's been to Massachusetts knows how much real estate Harvard (and MIT, and BU, and Boston College, etc, etc.) owns. Why should they be tax exempt? End it now. Also, Trump's demands are silly and not even internally consistent.

Ok have that argument on it's own and do it right legal, go through the legislature and discuss the appropriateness of public funding for private institution.

The Trump administration is not arguing or even considering that as part of their objectives here.

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