- Brown University may lose federal funding as part of the Trump administration’s continued effort to hold universities accountable for antisemitism on campus, according to reports. This follows similar actions against other Ivy League schools like Harvard, Columbia and Princeton.
- The U.S. Department of Education is reviewing federal grants for institutions under investigation for potential Civil Rights Act violations.
- Brown’s provost dismissed the rumors, but the university’s funding could be at risk.
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Brown University may be next in line to lose its federal funding, according to multiple reports.
Anonymous officials close to the matter tell The New York Times that the Trump administration is continuing its campaign of holding universities accountable for antisemitism on campus.
Earlier this week, the Department of Education announced it was reviewing Harvard University’s $9 billion in federal grants and contracts.
This move followed the Ivy League institution’s settlement of two lawsuits from Jewish students. They claimed the university failed to protect them during last year’s pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to 60 higher education institutions. It stated they are under investigation for alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act. The Department’s Office for Civil Rights says that if the universities are found not in compliance, federal law prohibits them from receiving federal funds.
“U.S. colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by U.S. taxpayers. That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement.
Brown’s provost, Frank Doyle, emailed campus leaders Thursday, calling the possible freeze “troubling rumors.” The Times reports that he stated there is “no information to substantiate any of these rumors.”
Congressman Seth Magaziner, a Democrat who represents Rhode Island where Brown University is located, criticized the potential move.
“President Trump’s threat to withhold funding from Brown University will undercut lifesaving research and economic development in the sciences, engineering and other disciplines,” said Magaziner in a statement. “This action is purely political and unnecessary. I have been in touch with President [Christina] Paxson another University officials and will support them in any way I can.”
The Daily Caller was the first to report on Brown’s potential freeze.
The Trump administration has also paused federal funding for Columbia, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton.
Meanwhile, Straight Arrow News reported on Brown University professor Dr. Rasha Alawieh, who was deported by federal immigration authorities. She allegedly told federal border agents she left the country to visit Beirut and attend the funeral of a Hezbollah leader.
