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Trump administration asks IRS to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status

38 points by nneonneo 2y ago

nneonneo 2y ago
https://archive.ph/9FUuH https://archive.ph/9FUuH
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
Out of all the schools to set a precedent with, they chose Harvard…
linotype 2y ago
I’m not really sure if Harvard should have tax exempt status given their resources. Of course Trump is doing it for the wrong reasons, but the school should be educating significantly more people.
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  Tax exemption has nothing to do with the amount of resources. It is based on what those resources are used for. I also think there should be absolutely no expectation that Harvard educates or people. If you are worried about allowing enabling enough people to get an education, allow more schools to open. I don't see why it's the duty of any one pre-existing institution to pick up that slack, especially a private one. If Harvard wanted to have 10 students, that's its prerogative and right
  - linotype 2y ago
    So why wouldn’t every investment firm be a university then? Have a class with ten students where the students are employees of the firm.
    - s1artibartfast 2y ago
      Because people want to make money and spend it. An investment firm can found and fund a university, but the owners don't get the money they put in back out. Plus, why bother with a school? If you want to donate your money, there are far more fun tax exempt organizations to run participate in, like most Yacht clubs or fraternal associations.
Terr_ 2y ago
If Harvard were to comply with these demands from the Republican party (coincidentally arriving on White House letterhead) that would actually move them further from being apolitical.
- helz 2y ago
  This has not been about reason, logic, or truth for a long time now.
- kleton 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    Unfortunately it is. I think the wacko right would lose much of its public traction if there was bipartisan support for race blind governance and law
  - Terr_ 2y ago
    > One of the demands [...] Is that a partisan political issue That's called "cherry-picking", and not in the fun version-control way. There's a bunch more, and [0] ... > The demands the Trump administration is placing on the university are internally contradictory. [...] > Departments deemed lacking in viewpoint diversity [by the Trump administration] would be forced to hire and admit “a critical mass” of new faculty and students that would provide it. [...] > Whether by design or accident, the imperative to screen for anti-Semitic beliefs and “ideological capture,” and to mandate viewpoint diversity, clearly contradict the dictates to reduce administrative activism and abolish the implementation of litmus tests in promotion and hiring. _____ In other words, imagine: "You can not have target-minimums in hiring minorities... and you can only hire staff who know how to play golf." [0] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/demands-harvard-contradictory/682464 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/demands-ha... , mirrored at https://archive.ph/BFgSi https://archive.ph/BFgSi
    - kleton 2y ago
ChrisArchitect 2y ago
[dupe] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43710485 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43710485

38 points by nneonneo 2y ago

nneonneo 2y ago

https://archive.ph/9FUuH https://archive.ph/9FUuH

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

Out of all the schools to set a precedent with, they chose Harvard…

linotype 2y ago

I’m not really sure if Harvard should have tax exempt status given their resources. Of course Trump is doing it for the wrong reasons, but the school should be educating significantly more people.

s1artibartfast 2y ago
Tax exemption has nothing to do with the amount of resources. It is based on what those resources are used for. I also think there should be absolutely no expectation that Harvard educates or people. If you are worried about allowing enabling enough people to get an education, allow more schools to open. I don't see why it's the duty of any one pre-existing institution to pick up that slack, especially a private one. If Harvard wanted to have 10 students, that's its prerogative and right
- linotype 2y ago
  So why wouldn’t every investment firm be a university then? Have a class with ten students where the students are employees of the firm.
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    Because people want to make money and spend it. An investment firm can found and fund a university, but the owners don't get the money they put in back out. Plus, why bother with a school? If you want to donate your money, there are far more fun tax exempt organizations to run participate in, like most Yacht clubs or fraternal associations.

Terr_ 2y ago

If Harvard were to comply with these demands from the Republican party (coincidentally arriving on White House letterhead) that would actually move them further from being apolitical.

helz 2y ago
This has not been about reason, logic, or truth for a long time now.
kleton 2y ago
[flagged]
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  Unfortunately it is. I think the wacko right would lose much of its public traction if there was bipartisan support for race blind governance and law
- Terr_ 2y ago
  > One of the demands [...] Is that a partisan political issue That's called "cherry-picking", and not in the fun version-control way. There's a bunch more, and [0] ... > The demands the Trump administration is placing on the university are internally contradictory. [...] > Departments deemed lacking in viewpoint diversity [by the Trump administration] would be forced to hire and admit “a critical mass” of new faculty and students that would provide it. [...] > Whether by design or accident, the imperative to screen for anti-Semitic beliefs and “ideological capture,” and to mandate viewpoint diversity, clearly contradict the dictates to reduce administrative activism and abolish the implementation of litmus tests in promotion and hiring. _____ In other words, imagine: "You can not have target-minimums in hiring minorities... and you can only hire staff who know how to play golf." [0] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/demands-harvard-contradictory/682464 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/demands-ha... , mirrored at https://archive.ph/BFgSi https://archive.ph/BFgSi
  - kleton 2y ago

ChrisArchitect 2y ago

[dupe] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43710485 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43710485