Given the censorious conduct of colleges and universities in recent years, it takes a lot to get free speech advocates to treat them as aggrieved parties. But the Trump administration has accomplished that by using the power of the state to coerce changes in campus political climates, disciplinary procedures, and hiring practices. Harvard University is digging in its heels and suing the federal government in response. But if institutions of higher learning really want to assert their independence, they should emulate a school with a lower profile and fewer resources that won its freedom by cutting ties with the government decades ago: They should follow the example of Hillsdale College.
A Growing List of Demands
What began as an investigation into poor treatment of Jewish students at Harvard and other universities, especially during pro-Palestinian protests after the Hamas terrorist organization's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, quickly turned into a laundry list of demands. In two letters, the Trump administration dictated terms to Harvard on which further federal funding is conditioned.
