Political Reform of Harvard and the Ivy League

[Looper]

Trump has ramped up his dispute with Harvard by halting student visa appointments. He initially moved to freeze funding to the Ivy League universities to force them to push back against anti-semitism on campus, but judges have temporarily blocked some of his actions.

It seems to have escalated into a general ideological head-to-head with Trump saying the elite institutions are too left wing.

I agree that elite educational establishments are too left wing and that this is unhealthy for the education being delivered. But they are private institutions so I am not sure how far this can be taken.

I think some kind of reform is needed of elite educational establishments to introduce more political balance to the educational culture and atmosphere.


POLL: Less than 3% of surveyed Harvard faculty identify as conservative

Only 2.5% identified as 'conservative,' and only 0.4% as 'very conservative.'
More than three-quarters of faculty surveyed by the Harvard Crimson, a student-run newspaper, identify as 'liberal' or 'very liberal.'

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This is the article on the visa action:


US halts student visa appointments and plans expanded social media vetting

US President Donald Trump's administration has ordered US embassies around the world to stop scheduling appointments for student visas as it prepares to expand social media vetting of such applicants.

An official memo said social media vetting would be stepped up for student and foreign exchange visas, which would have "significant implications" for embassies and consulates.

It comes during a wide-ranging Trump crackdown on some of America's most elite universities. He sees these institutions as too left-wing - accusing them of failing to combat antisemitism when pro-Palestinian protests have unfolded on campuses.

Responding to the move, China called on the US to protect international students.

"We urge the US side to earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China," an official was quoted as saying. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese students attend US universities.

The universities themselves are likely to be disquieted as well. Many of them rely on foreign students for a significant chunk of their funding - as those scholars often pay higher tuition fees.

Foreign students who want to study in the US are usually required to schedule interviews at a US embassy in their home country before approval.

State department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters on Tuesday: "We take very seriously the process of vetting who it is that comes into the country, and we're going to continue to do that."

US halts student visa appointments and plans expanded social media vetting