This blackmailing and coercion by dangling research funds over their heads is just straight up illegal. It was great to see Harvard reject the fed gov’s demands today. Finally some backbone is showing (or just a realization that the money wasn’t coming anyway).
I imagine they want to do this carefully. I also imagine sometimes it is better to file a suit as a single entity (ie Harvard vs usa) rather than combining forces since that gets messy.
But this needs to go to the Supreme Court ASAP otherwise what is the point?
Waiting 6 months will already have let them one. Grants in limbo will have destroyed labs. Careers will be cancelled by the thousands. The only time to do this is now. I am just shocked and saddened it is taken this long.
It seems like now that the realization that they are not getting their funds is the only motivating force for them to put up a fight.
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I don’t understand these arguments about “backbone”. They are doing what they think is the best strategy to keep labs funded and not have to lay people off. Sure they could have tried to sue immediately, but we’ve seen how much the current gov respects the courts (even the supreme court). So it makes sense to try to appease first, as long as everything they give up is reversible. So e.g. Columbia entering into consent decree would be too far. If appeasement doesn’t work (as it hasn’t for Columbia)… then it is time to sue.
You say “sue” like our institutions will protect us and the old rules still apply.
This regime understands better than anyone that raw power is all that matters. They have it, we don’t.
hopefully that will happen soon. cases are being prepared now
The Association of American Universities is suing the Department of Energy over the 15% cap on Facilities and Administration fees.
Possibly now, since 1) Columbia capitulated, and didn’t get its money back, creating zero incentive for other universities to collaborate and 2) Harvard literally was like “fuck you” to their demands and is beginning to sue (while also losing 2.2 billion tonight)
So what’s true that wasn’t true two weeks ago is that 1) universities now see that deals aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on 2) the big dog with the biggest to lose stood up and fought.
So Harvard’s challenge “should” be a great coordinating mechanism among all those other schools getting funding pulled, from a game theory standpoint.
You will think they will? They’re essentially subsidiaries of the government and much too cowardly. They are corporatized institutions, just as our government is now. We are seeing our system it itself
Given that they receive so much of their revenue from the federal government it seems unlikely that they will take the risk. They are businesses first and foremost.
I walked away from academia ten years ago, in large part because of the uniform cowardice and malfeasance of administration.
Why would I expect these people to have gotten any better in that regard? Still, this is sickening.
They won’t. They became big businesses instead of academic institutions years ago.
Sueing?
Buddy this is looking like a storm the courthouse situation we are headed into