Harvard’s antisemitism task force agrees with White House on the need for reform. But not entirely on how or who’s in charge

Harvard University’s release this week of a long-awaited, 300-page report addressing antisemitism on campus is the latest milestone in an issue that has been incredibly painful for the campus community – and incredibly powerful for its biggest critic: the Trump administration. The Ivy League school doesn’t entirely disagree with the White House’s position that antisemitism is a major problem at the university, according to the task force report on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, released alongside one on anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. But Harvard and the White House still strongly disagree over who should have the final say on what reforms are required and who should oversee them: federal officials or the university. The sticking points are at the heart of the school’s lawsuit seeking the release of $2.2 billion in federal money frozen this spring over its handling of antisemitism and a slew of other issues. The government’s demands are not always entirely clear: A letter it sent the school April 11 referred to changes such as “meaningful governance reform and restructuring” and “competence and good faith” but also made highly specific requirements, like defunding certain campus groups and submitting to annual auditing of “viewpoint diversity” in hiring. Meanwhile, Harvard’s antisemitism task force report offers its own mix of sweeping and detailed recommendations, some of which seem to dovetail with what Trump’s administration has said it wants. Here are some key areas of overlap – and continued disagreement – between Harvard and the White House on the heels of the task force report’s release: Addressing antisemitism on campus The Trump administration has been unrelenting in its descriptions of the Harvard campus as an unfriendly place for Jewish students and faculty. “Harvard is an Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the World that want to rip our Country apart,” President Donald Trump said on social media last week without giving examples or evidence. While the school’s task force report doesn’t use the president’s inflammatory rhetoric, it acknowledges antisemitism is a serious problem at Harvard, especially in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. The militant group that has controlled Gaza since 2007 killed 1,200 people in Israel and took hundreds hostage that day in a series of gruesome attacks. Since then, Israel’s attacks in Gaza have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians – mostly women and children – and sparked an ongoing humanitarian crisis, international groups have said. Citing dozens of examples of Jewish students saying they were ostracized on campus or made to feel responsible for the suffering of Palestinians, the task force report says: The report also shows the significance of the problem goes beyond protests, the leader of a university Jewish student organization said. “We’re talking about a pervasive atmosphere of discrimination and harassment that has built over years and is grounded in some of the instruction that happens in certain parts of Harvard,” said Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, executive director of Harvard Hillel. Task force recommendations include updating the admissions process to focus on the need to work alongside people of differing viewpoints and be prepared to accept disagreements. The admissions department also should: And given antisemitism has become so widespread around the globe, Harvard should “become a hub for antisemitism research” and dedicate a faculty member to its study, the task force adds. That comes on top of steps the task force said the university already has taken, including developing mandatory training on combating antisemitism for all students and staff, reviewing curriculum and limiting disruptive protests, including in places like libraries and dorms. The university separately responded this week to a mid-April Department of Homeland Security letter that refers to “Harvard’s failure to condemn antisemitism” and requests “information required by law” about international students, including “each student visa holder’s known illegal activity” as well as their “dangerous or violent activity.” Harvard did not detail what information it handed over. Still, the Trump administration demands go further. Its April 11 letter insists Harvard submit a comprehensive report to the government every three months, at least through the end of Trump’s second term, that would: The government’s “actions threaten Harvard’s academic independence and place at risk critical lifesaving and pathbreaking research that occurs on its campus,” the university’s attorneys argue in their lawsuit. “And they are part of a broader effort by the Government to punish Harvard for protecting its constitutional rights.” Expanding viewpoint diversity Conservatives have long complained Ivy League institutions engage in groupthink and policing of ideas, and Harvard President Alan Garber has acknowledged the need for a wider spectrum of views. “We need to ensure that the University lives up to its ideals by taking concrete steps to reaffirm a culture of free inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and academic exploration,” he wrote April 21 in a statement announcing the university’s lawsuit against the government. An unwillingness to agreeably disagree helped lead to an atmosphere of fear for Jewish students, the task force report says, noting: The task force recommends Harvard instructors stay away from extraneous politics in the classroom and avoid decisions that appear to favor one side of a political dispute, such as when some canceled class in fall 2023 so students could attend pro-Palestinian protest. Harvard should, the report says: Instructors also should be chosen with greater expertise on related topics, given, the report says: Meanwhile, the Trump administration demands in its April 11 letter that Harvard conduct audits of: Harvard in its April 21 legal complaint argued it should not be bound by the Trump administration’s definition of diversity: “The Government wielded the threat of withholding federal funds in an attempt to coerce Harvard to conform with the Government’s preferred mix of viewpoints and ideologies.” Governance and leadership reform Some Harvard academic programs outside the classroom – including institutes and study abroad programs – didn’t have enough oversight from top university faculty members, the antisemitism task force report says. The task force recommends the university fill vacant positions at Harvard’s Center for Jewish Studies and create an Office of Religious, Ethical, and Spiritual Life, as well as hire a professor: While many White House priorities are similar, the Trump administration demands more broadly in its April 11 letter that Harvard commit to: Harvard has bristled at the idea that the government would claim a role in its classroom decisions: “The Government’s demands seek to overhaul Harvard’s governance, control Harvard’s faculty hiring, and dictate what faculty may teach Harvard students,” the university’s lawsuit stated. Reforming student discipline processes One issue Jewish advocates such as the Anti-Defamation League have raised is what happens to people who break Harvard’s rules, especially when it comes to protests. With each of Harvard’s undergraduate programs and graduate schools traditionally handling its own discipline, students with complaints often have cowered at getting involved at all. Of disciplinary processes, the task force report says: Garber last week announced a new central panel to consider disciplinary cases involving more than one school. “Certainly, different consequences may be appropriate for similar conduct by a first-year undergraduate as opposed to a third-year professional school student,” he wrote. “But no student should receive different discipline based on nothing more than the Harvard School(s) in which they are enrolled.” These changes seem aligned with the government’s demands for how Harvard handle discipline: Further, the task force recommends all schools “give students clear instructions as to where and how to file complaints,” with “greater consistency in disciplinary procedures.” Again, the Trump administration demands more, including a mask ban at protests punishable by suspension and the use of campus police to stop “deplatforming” – or preventing someone with views regarded as unacceptable from contributing to a debate, especially online, its April 11 letter said. Harvard also must defund the National Lawyers Guild, which provides legal assistance to protesters and political activists, and other four organizations because of what the White House called “anti-Semitic activity.” The Trump administration has been adamant about eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts – designed to create equitable opportunities for people from marginalized communities – from the government and academia. The president called DEI “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” in an executive order signed the day after his 2025 inauguration. Recasting diversity, equity and inclusion Harvard this week changed the name of its Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to Community and Campus Life, its lead officer, Sherri Ann Charleston, announced in an email to the campus community. The purpose of the office now includes “expanding and supporting programs that give members of our community greater opportunities to engage across difference” and “enhancing support for first-generation and low-income students,” the email said. Exactly what changes are in store for the office were not immediately made clear, with Charleston writing change would come “in the weeks and months ahead.” The task force recommends adding to the office a new team member: Again, the Trump administration’s demands require more: Despite some areas of common ground, Harvard has not signaled it is willing to bend to give the Trump administration more power over its operations. The university’s academic independence is non-negotiable, its lawyers wrote to the government April 14, broadly refusing the White House’s demands. “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” they wrote. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.” For now, the school’s federal funding continues to hang in the balance, pending oral arguments in its lawsuit set for July 21. CNN’s Annette Choi contributed to this report.