The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.

#[harvard] #[solidarity] #[firstamendment]

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Harvard University’s lawyers responded on Monday to the Trump Administration’s letter demanding a series of policy changes, saying the demands were unlawful and that Harvard would not comply.

The New York Times

Read Harvard’s Response to the Trump Administration

Christy Grace Provines

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Finding Humanity in Policy

Response

“If Mahmoud can be targeted in this way, simply for speaking out for Palestinians and exercising his constitutionally protected right to free speech, this can happen to anyone over any issue the Trump administration dislikes.“

Shame, America. #[freedomofpress] #[freedomofexpression] #[firstamendmentrights] #[humanrights] #[righttoprotest]

The decision by a judge in Louisiana is an early victory for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but a broader challenge is still being heard in federal court in Newark.

Immigration Judge Rules Khalil Can Be Deported, but Legal Hurdles Remain

Among the countries and territories listed on sheets of paper that were distributed to reporters in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday were Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Australian territories near Antarctica where many penguins but no people

Of all the dangerous, ridiculous and just plain dumb policies Trump has put in place in the last 2+ months, enacting tariffs on remote islands full of penguins, to say nothing of doing it to our best allies and partners, is just the most stupid. It truly is the stupidest trade war that has ever been launched. Among the repercussions that are guaranteed to come, this trade war will surely de-stabilize the global economy, fray the threads of interconnectedness that have ensured world peace since World War II, and exacerbate inequities globally. My lens is always international security policy, but the role that strong global trade plays in maintaining peace and security cannot be underscored enough. This is basic strategy and undergraduate Microeconomics cost-benefit-analysis - Why would we risk global peace and security and vast de-stabilization so that the United States can add a few factories? It’s just stupid….

Some of the more sparsely populated territories in the world that do little trade with the United States have been caught up in the trade war.

More Penguins Than People: Trump Imposes Tariffs on Remote Islands

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Surrendering to the Trump administration’s $400 million ransom demand would be a disaster for higher education and for the United States.

Theatlantic.com

A Warning for Columbia University

Don't give in to tireney <a href="/search?search=%23columbia" type="hashtag">#columbia</a> - I'm confident they will see the forest through the trees and do the right thing. It's heartbreaking though 💔
🥲 <a href="/search?search=%23solidarity" type="hashtag">#solidarity</a> <a href="/search?search=%23proudalum" type="hashtag">#proudalum</a> <a href="/search?search=%23speaktruthtopower" type="hashtag">#speaktruthtopower</a>

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I had the privilege of attending a live podcast recording with #[karaswisher] and Senator Warren - she spoke on the short term and long term implications of Trump Administration economic, immigration, and federal government cuts that Americans can expect. She broke it down in simple,

c9acf54c-57e5-43ff-880b-1573cbd9321e.mov

SXSW : Senator Elizabeth Warren and Kara Swisher

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"This is a blatant example of how this administration uses antisemitism as a smoke screen to enact its plans to bully, blame and ban people, plans that have nothing to do with jews or our safety," Beran added.

A friend of mine who also graduated from SIPA | Columbia University who is a career official at the U.S. State Department (who was in Israel and the Palestinian Territories with me) texted me this morning and said - “I am lost and confused in this moment...and there’s nothing that I can do.”

A judge is slamming the brakes on the Trump administration's attempt to deport a pro-Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University's 2024 student encampment protests.

Cbsnews

Protests grow in NYC over Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist's arrest as judge says he can't be deported yet

All eyes are on Columbia at present. It falls to us to ensure our University, and indeed the values of higher education more broadly, survive and thrive.

#[solidarity] #[alumni] #[sipa] #[columbiauniversity]

It may not be known than Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs was set up at the same time as the United Nations, NATO and The U.S. State Department to ensure that the world never go to war with itself again - to ensure that there were channels for dialogue and collaboration. SIPA is a feeder school to the U.S. Government and Public Private Partnership so that we always look at intractable policy problems in holistic and all-of-society ways.

President.columbia.edu

Leading Through This Challenging Time | Office of the President

The Trump administration has been savvy in choosing unpopular targets: dismantling foreign aid, targeting transgender people, demonizing migrants and trashing elite colleges. Each of these moves chips away at bedrock American ideals. But free speech is not

The detention and removal to an out of state facility, of a permanent resident of the US, fellow New Yorker and alum from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is abhorrent and unnerving. SIPA, like NYC, is highly diverse - home to many points of view and belief systems - and thrives through shared humanity and finding common ground. For the Trump Administration to attempt to stamp out freedom of expression and opposition in this way is un-American and un-democratic. Period. SIPA, connected to Columbia’s Law School, is ~70% international students… I myself spent three weeks in Israel and the Palestinian Territories on behalf of SIPA as part of a peace and security delegation in 2017 - this delegation was led by Israeli and Palestinian SIPA students and faculty. I take some comfort that the greatest minds, strongest voices, and most capable legal advisory will be and, no doubt are, working to bring Mahmoud home…. To say nothing of the SIPA student body, faculty and alumni community who stand in solidarity. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/nyregion/mahmoud-khalil-ice-louisiana.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

If this detention stands, what stops the Trump administration from detaining permanent residents who support other causes it does not like?

The Point
Conversations and insights about the moment.

Veselka is a beloved Ukranian diner in NYC's east village. It's been there for countless late night meals over the years and is a place every New Yorker has at least one fond memory of. In 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, this family owned New York favorite became the heart of activism and New York based advocacy for Ukraine. I led the founding of an initiative on the UWS called Ukraine With Love. We had the privilege of working with third-generation owner of Veselka, Jason Blanchard, in fundraising, purchasing and shipping much-needed supplies from New York City directly into Ukraine and the front lines. We also worked with him to coordinate through a local restaurant on the Polish/Ukrainian border to fund hot meals being driven across the border to refugees fleeing their homes. In the early days of the war before infrastructure could be set up on the ground, it was citizen-led initiatives and efforts that made a difference.
A documentary just came out on this restaurant and its efforts through the war - it tells the story of an immigrant family, a country fighting for survival and the diaspora community here in NYC powered by a beloved NYC institution - VESELKA - watch on Amazon Prime.