Reuters: Massachusetts Institute of Technology becomes the first university to publicly reject government funding conditions
Reuters, October 10th report, updated on October 11th: MIT President Sally Kornbluth said on Friday that she "cannot support" a memo sent by the White House to nine elite American universities last week, which outlined policies that they should follow to receive preferential federal funding.
The report said that Kornbluth stated in an open letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon that some of the policies would restrict MIT's independence and freedom of expression (said some of the policies would restrict MIT’s independence and freedom of expression).
The report said that Kornbluth stated in a letter published on the MIT website that the conditions mentioned in the government memo are inconsistent with our core beliefs, that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone (scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone).
The report said that some of the policies included in the government memo limit the enrollment of international undergraduates to 15%, ban the use of race or sex in hiring, and define gender based on biology. The memo stated that schools that pursue "patterns and values" beyond those outlined in the memo may "forfeit federal benefits," while compliant institutions may be rewarded.
The report said that MIT is the first university to refuse to support the White House memo. Previously, Republican President Donald Trump had tried to use financial pressure to force some top U.S. higher education institutions to submit to unprecedented control over what they teach and who they teach. Other universities have stated that they are reviewing the government's requirements and drafting responses.
The report said that the U.S. Department of Education and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
The report said that Brown University was one of the universities that received the memo, although it had reached an agreement with the federal government in July to pay $50 million over 10 years to support workforce development in Rhode Island in exchange for the release of $510 million in funds for medical and health science research. In a public letter on Friday, Brown University President Christina Paxson said she is working with the university community to draft a response statement to the memo.
The report said that on Monday, the president and interim chancellor of the University of Virginia announced the formation of a task force to advise the university on how to respond, but stated that "the school found it difficult to agree with certain provisions of the memo." Dartmouth College, the University of Arizona, the University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University also issued statements saying they were deciding how to respond. Meanwhile, the University of Texas had previously stated that the university "eagerly looks forward to cooperating with the government."
The original title of the report was "MIT refuses to accept White House terms for funding, other schools still mulling" (MIT refuses to accept White House terms for funding, other schools still mulling).
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845635668194315/
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