The Trump administration has turned a spotlight on Harvard University primarily over allegations of antisemitism. Last month the White House froze $2.2 billion in federal funds designated for the university, and Harvard has responded with a lawsuit.

But the school’s defense suffered a blow this week when a Harvard task force released a report which found that ‘antisemitism had infiltrated coursework, social life, the hiring of some faculty members and the worldview of certain academic programs,’ The New York Times reported.

The details are shocking. ‘The social exclusion and shunning of Israeli students lies at the core of the Harvard experience for many,’ one student told the task force. ‘From my first days on campus, I noticed students in pre-orientation avoiding conversation with me, simply out of fear of being associated with an Israeli.’

The findings noted, ‘Across Harvard, non-Jewish students unconnected to Israel told our task force that they had come under social pressure to end friendships with Israeli students. … The bullying and attempts to intimidate Jewish students were in some places successful.’

Entire departments were overrun with antisemitic sentiment, particularly those with ‘a social justice bent,’ the Times reported, ‘including the graduate school of education, the divinity school and the school of public health.’ According to the probe, problems predated the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack but escalated when students began holding anti-Israeli protests shortly after.

The First Amendment protects the right to protest, even if the demonstrators are woefully misguided. Rather than stifling free speech, colleges should encourage respectful debate and promote ideological diversity over woke indoctrination. But there is no right to break the law or to threaten and intimidate other students. It is safe to say that Harvard administrators never would have tolerated such a climate of intimidation against Black or Hispanic students.

The fact that they struggled so mightily to address the matter when it pertained to Jewish students speaks volumes about their commitment to ‘diversity.’

That university officials have attempted to atone for this mistake and have agreed to make changes is indeed a positive development. But it shouldn’t preclude the administration from holding the school accountable under federal civil rights laws. Some of the White House’s demands on Harvard — which include addressing administrative bloat and federal control over hiring decisions — stray from the issue at hand and may be vulnerable to challenge.

But the administration walks on solid ground when it puts Harvard on notice that it has a duty when it receives federal funds to create a welcoming and positive environment — something it utterly failed to do for its Jewish students. — From Tribune News Service