Health department moves to block Harvard from future research grants

"WASHINGTON - The Health and Human Services Department on Monday started the process for blocking Harvard University from receiving future research grants, three months after finding that the university violated civil rights law by failing to address the harassment of Jewish students on campus. Debarment is the government's formal way of blacklisting contractors. Monday's announcement that the Trump administration was initiating the debarment process represented a shift from May, when Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a letter that simply disqualified Harvard from future federal funding."

"The health department's initial findings that Harvard failed to adequately address antisemitism on campus were disputed by Harvard, which has argued that the university has taken significant steps to address the problem. Judge Allison D. Burroughs of U.S. District Court in Boston sided with Harvard, the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, when she ruled this month that the administration had broken the law by freezing billions in research dollars."

The Health and Human Services Department initiated proceedings to debar Harvard University from receiving future federal research grants after finding violations of civil rights law related to harassment of Jewish students. The debarment move followed an earlier May decision by Education Secretary Linda McMahon that disqualified Harvard from future federal funding. The action formalizes a government blacklist of contractors and raises pressure amid an administration effort to challenge perceived "woke" ideology on campuses. Harvard disputed the initial findings and said it had taken steps to address antisemitism. A federal judge ruled the administration unlawfully froze research funds and the administration plans to appeal. Harvard declined to comment.

Read at Boston.com