Harvard University is in the news right now for its showdown with the Trump Administration. Remember that inequality is bad and also that the federal government should spend taxpayer dollars at the nation’s richest institutions in the richest states rather than at, for example, University of Mississippi, Ohio University, or University of Michigan (the 13th poorest state).
My question for today is how did Harvard keep the river of taxpayer cash going for so long given its explicit race discrimination polices, most famously in admissions and hiring, but also in selling theater tickets. From a 2021 post:
We have designated this performance to be an exclusive space for Black-identifying audience members. For our non-Black allies, we appreciate your support in making this a completely Black-identifying evening. We invite you to join us at another performance during the run.
Proof of vaccination or negative test results required to attend.
Maybe a privately-financed and privately-run theater could refuse to sell tickets to those with the wrong skin color (though it would seem to be contrary to the Maskachusetts state law), but how can a federally-funded enterprise do it?
Here’s Harvard, the operator of a one-race-only theater, claiming the moral high ground as a recipient of federal dollars:
There have been plenty of racists in the history of the United States, but right now I can’t think of any recent racists held up as morally superior to the average person, business, or institution.
Related:
- Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, in which Harvard was found to be violating the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment requiring equal protection (but the Feds said “Hey, let’s just keep sending them money because they surely wouldn’t violate the Constitution ever again”?)
> Black-identifying
Does it mean that one can “identify as black” and officially “transition”?
> right now I can’t think of any recent racists held up as morally superior
Wasn’t the ‘original’ racism regarded as the political correctness of day? It was moral, scientific and socially beneficial. Prominent Harvard scholars, such as Nathaniel Shaler or Louis Agassiz wrote plenty on the subject.
Harvard is an incredibly wealthy enterprise, there is really no justification for it to receive taxpayer money. I’ve never understood why any private university should be supported with tax payers money. Isn’t their tax-exempt status already offer enough of a benefit?
If taxpayers are funding elite private schools like Harvard, then why aren’t other private institutions, such as Catholic, Jewish, or Muslim schools receiving the same treatment?
As for how we ended up here, much of the blame falls on the government for starting university funding back in the 1940s. Schools with the right political or institutional connections ended up getting the most. And now, it’s nearly impossible to cut off that stream of funding. Just like with welfare programs, once the flow of “free money” starts, it becomes impossible to stop.
The $2.2B to be frozen is described as “grants” and is likely mostly tied to specific research projects. It’s not directly supporting the school – it’s more for the expenses of that specific project. However, most projects pay some of that money to the school for support services that can include general organizational overhead, and I’ve read that universities often expect researchers to cover their own salary in grant money. The amount of project money siphoned off this way can certainly be questioned, but religious schools that do non-religious work are eligible for similar grants. Obviously, Harvard probably gets a disproportionate share due to being able to attract big-name researchers who are more likely to win grant applications, but it’s hard to find a good argument against funding proven individuals or limiting where they’re allowed to work.
Phil, I’m aghast at your post today! The idea that Harvard’s “river of taxpayer cash” should be shut down by is so shameful I’m not sure where to begin. I’d plagiarize someone else to respond to your nonsense, but I’m too busy this evening cashing my $900,000 paycheck in Harvard Square. Even less than smart black folks need a job and why not as professors at Harvard? Particularly for African American Studies, since there’s not much too it, you know. Just talk about oppression, colonists, slavery and other simple stuff like that all day long and you’re good to go! Give a shout out to Black Lives Matter now and then too, just for good measure.