Harvard seemingly caves to Trump, shuts down LGBTQ+ and women's center websites

Harvard University has seemingly caved to the Trump Administration's demand to end all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by removing the websites for its LGBTQ+ and women's centers.

The Ivy League's pages for its Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life, and Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations were removed Wednesday at the same time Dean of the faculty of arts and sciences, Hopi Hoekstra, revealed a new Office for Academic Culture and Community in an email to faculty shared with The Advocate.

“This new office is part of the [university’s] ongoing effort to break down silos, ensuring all members of our community are connected, supported and empowered to contribute to a thriving intellectual environment,” Hoekstra wrote. “The Office for Academic Culture and Community will serve as a resource and partner to departments, faculty, staff, and researchers as we continue to work together to foster a culture rooted in care, curiosity, and collaboration."

Harvard has not confirmed that its centers serving women, LGBTQ+, and multicultural students will remain in place, but Hoekstra said in her email that more information would be available upon the start of the fall semester.

Donald Trump has attempted to cut all federal funding to the Ivy League while prohibiting international students from enrolling in response to the university refusing to comply with his numerous demands, including to end DEI practices and to punish students who peacefully voiced opposition to Israel's attacks on Gaza, which the United Nations and Amnesty International have designated as a genocide.

The Department of Health and Human Services launched an investigation into Harvard after some medical school graduates wore buttons and scarves showing support for Palestine. The administration concluded in an April letter to university president Alan Garber that the school "failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment" by permitting "anti-Semitism." The letter also demanded that Harvard eliminate the DEI initiatives to ensure "viewpoint diversity."

When Harvard refused, Trump froze over $2.2 billion in federal grants to the school in retaliation. The administration then pushed to further investigate anti-genocide protests on the campus by demanding detailed records about its student body, including all information about students on F1 visas, which the school also denied.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced shortly after that Harvard would no longer be allowed to enroll international students going forward, and that all current international students must somehow transfer. Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration the next day, and a judge blocked the enrollment ban. The college filed a separate suit against the funding freeze, which is scheduled to be heard July 21.

The changes to Harvard's LGBTQ+, women's, and multicultural centers were announced the same day that the Trump Administration threatened to revoke the university's accreditation through the New England Commission of Higher Education. The DHS also issued a subpoena at the same time for information about how its international students comply with immigration laws.