Professors from Harvard University have initiated a legal battle against the US administration’s decision to investigate the 8.7 billion dollar federal funds provided to the school. The professors at Harvard University in the US filed a lawsuit against the decision of President Donald Trump’s administration to investigate the 8.7 billion dollars in federal funds allocated to the school. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the campus branch at Harvard took action regarding the investigation launched by the Trump administration under allegations of “antisemitism.”

In the lawsuit filed in a federal court in Boston, it was stated that academic research is dependent on federal funds, mentioning that “threats are an ‘existential ‘sword of Damocles’ for a university.” The lawsuit highlighted the critical importance of the billions in grants, noting that the Trump administration is attempting to “undermine freedom of speech on campuses.”

THREE UNIVERSITIES UNDER SCRUTINY
In the US, universities have been facing potential freezing of federal funds based on campus protests in favor of Palestine and diversity, equality, and inclusion programs. The administration announced an investigation into the 8.7 billion dollars and more in grants given to Harvard University by various organizations to ensure that they are being used “in compliance with civil rights laws.” Columbia University, targeted by the Trump administration as part of their policies against “antisemitism,” declared that it would comply with the government’s demands to avoid the 400 million dollars in funds being cut. The 175 million dollars in federal funds allocated to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) were suspended last month due to a transgender athlete on the school’s swim team.