The administration of US President Donald Trump is intensifying negotiations with Harvard University to resolve disagreements over the admission of foreign students, The Washington Post reports, citing sources in the White House.
According to them, the authorities intend to conclude an agreement with Harvard by the end of June. The White House hopes that the agreements will be clear and stable enough to “form the basis for agreements with other higher education institutions“.
At the same time, a source close to the university told the newspaper that Harvard will not compromise the values and rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
Trump and representatives of his administration have repeatedly made statements about Harvard and other prestigious American universities. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has canceled $60 million in federal grants to Harvard, saying the university is failing to address issues of anti-Semitism, ethnic and racial discrimination. The White House has also suspended Harvard’s approval to admit students from foreign countries.
In response, the university filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston. In May, the court granted the university’s request and blocked the government from restricting the admission of foreign students to Harvard. The ban prevents the government from revoking Harvard’s certificate, which allows the university to admit foreign students to study in the United States.