Poltical University Adjunct Professor Kao Yongguang: The legend of Jin Yong's novel "The Legend of the Condor Heroes": "Wulin至尊, 宝刀屠龙, Commanding the world, none dare to disobey! Yitian does not appear, who can contend with it?" Readers are very curious about which is stronger, the Sword of Yitian or the Saber of Dragon. In the novel, they are described as being hacked at each other by Zhou芷若 until both break, and then she uses the clues on the iron plates inside them to obtain the military manual of Wu Mu and the Nine Yin True Scripture, thus greatly improving her martial arts. This suggests that the hardness of the Sword of Yitian and the Saber of Dragon should be evenly matched.

Interestingly, in the 21st century United States, a version of the "Condor Heroes" seems to be playing out. Trump's great power is like the "Sword of Yitian" with the ultimate skills of the Nine Yin Manual, cutting into Harvard University, the most elite higher education institution in the U.S., the "Dragon's Head". Trump froze $2.2 billion in federal government grants to Harvard under the pretext of school reform. Elite universities like Harvard are like the "Dragon Saber" of global higher education. Harvard represents the leader among the eight Ivy League schools, and five other elite universities, like the dragon's body, have also had their federal government grant funds frozen by Trump: Brown University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Cornell University, and the University of Pennsylvania. However, in this American version of "Condor Heroes", who is stronger and who will win, remains unpredictable.

The main reason Trump's government cited for cutting funding to Harvard and other Ivy League schools was the "anti-Semitism" during student demonstrations at these schools during World War II. However, in a letter sent to Harvard's president on April 11, the Trump administration directly demanded that Harvard University take active measures to restrict activities involving anti-Semitism or anti-Israeli faculty and students, and also requested that Harvard carry out school reforms. These reforms include:

1. School governance and leadership reform: By August 2025, the school must complete meaningful changes in leadership authority and accountability, including giving more power to tenured and senior teachers, reducing the power of non-tenured teachers and students, reducing the power of administrative personnel (regardless of tenure or non-tenure), and reducing all factors that interfere with reform, etc.

2. School hiring must follow performance principles: It is not allowed to favor specific groups or hire based on religious beliefs, skin color, gender, etc.; employment, promotion, compensation, etc. must be based on a long-term stable merit-based system. Faculty and students of the university must undergo plagiarism checks, which must be completed by the end of 2025. All internal governance data of the school can be shared by the federal government.

3. Admission permits for students must be based on academic excellence without regard to race, gender, skin color, religion. Therefore, admission permit data must be disclosed, and the federal government can share it. All department chairs, deans of colleges, and deans must sign affidavits this year, guaranteeing the implementation of the aforementioned principles.

4. Reform of international student recruitment: The most important is to prevent students from countries opposing the values of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, especially Muslim countries, from entering Harvard University.

5. Recruitment and hiring staff at Harvard University must be audited and reviewed by an external group by the end of the year, checking whether individual faculty members have violated diversity principles or have special ideologies in their work and teaching.

6. By the end of this year, Harvard must entrust an external unit approved by the federal government to review the results of the execution of plans to combat anti-Semitism and harassment of Israelis in various departments, colleges, research centers, etc. Moreover, annual improvements and strengthened enforcement must submit review reports until 2028.

7. Terminate all programs claiming diversity, equity, and inclusion (diversity, equity, and inclusion).

8. Harvard must strengthen student discipline and accountability for students who violate discipline. Particularly, Palestinian students and organizations who attacked Israelis from 2022 to 2024. Establish campus security guards with law enforcement capabilities and enforcement powers, whose enforcement must be recognized by the federal government.

9. Establish whistleblower protection systems, regulatory systems, and transparency. Especially in terms of transparency, the sources of foreign donations and their fund utilization must be disclosed annually to the federal government and satisfy the federal government.

From the above requirements of the Trump administration for Harvard University reform, it can be seen that Trump wants to comprehensively inspect, supervise, and control private universities' admissions, especially international students, hiring, teaching, research content, and finances, and even conduct ideological inspections. This is Trump's challenge to America's elite private universities. Trump's college career began at the New York Military Academy, and later he earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. When he was at Penn, he took business and real estate courses, and later wanted to study film. Whether this led to his rejection or aversion to advanced degrees in master's and doctoral training remains unknown. However, from his cutting off federal funding to these elite schools, his intention to destroy the long-standing autonomous operation of universities and intervene in the leadership and management of private elite universities is clear!

Trump, citing dissatisfaction with the indulgence of "anti-Semitic actions" at leading universities, demanded school reforms and immediately halted federal grants to various schools. The national Anti-Defamation League (ADL) immediately urged the Trump administration to strengthen anti-"anti-Semitism" courses or plans at universities, but only limited to this goal rather than expanding to private elite university reforms. Although not explicitly stated, ADL should be concerned that Trump's move might instead provoke more intense conflicts between Jewish Americans and Palestinian Americans within the U.S.

Does Trump cutting federal funding to Ivy League schools affect their finances? Federal grants account for 11% of Harvard University's revenue, 20% for Columbia University, 18% for Princeton University, and 15% for Yale University. The impact is still significant. However, the total endowment funds of America's private elite universities are vast, such as Harvard's $53 billion. The proportion of investment in liquid assets varies across schools. The total endowment funds of all U.S. universities amount to approximately $500 billion, with 40% allocated to illiquid assets. If schools face financial shortages, they may release these assets, causing economic storms.

Currently, besides Harvard having already filed a lawsuit against the federal government and related cabinet ministers, media reports indicate that other elite universities whose federal grants were cut are preparing to jointly file lawsuits against the U.S. government's interference in academic freedom. It is expected that such cases will reach the Supreme Court. Who wins or loses will test the core values of American liberalism! Whether Trump's "Yitian Sword" is stronger or the "Dragon Saber" of elite private universities is sharper will be known after the verdict!

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497866994948178467/

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