Harvard Students Demand University President ‘Actively Resist’ Trump

A report from The Harvard Crimson claims Harvard student activists are demanding university president Drew Faust “actively resist” President Trump.

A coalition of student activists at Harvard presented a letter to university president Drew Faust in response to Donald Trump’s inauguration last Friday. The students demanded that Faust uphold Harvard’s community values in the face of a new era of politics in America under Trump.

“Today we come together to inaugurate a new era of student action and solidarity on campus,” students wrote in the letter. “We, therefore, call upon President Drew Faust and the Harvard administration to embark on a course of action that upholds our community values in the face of a new political reality.”

In response to the letter, Harvard University spokesperson Melodie L. Jackson wrote that the institution shares values with the student coalition, such as addressing climate change and increasing initiatives for diversity and inclusion.

“We appreciate student groups bringing a focus to these important issues,” University spokesperson Melodie L. Jackson wrote in a statement. “Harvard shares many of the same objectives – addressing climate change, deepening inclusion and belonging across our community, supporting students who may feel anxiety about new immigration policies, and preventing sexual assault and harassment.”

According to reports, after the students delivered the letter to Faust’s office, they rushed out of the building, shouting “we’ll be back.”

In December, Faust declared that Harvard would not become a “sanctuary campus,” after students demanded that the university protect illegal alien students. Despite her claim that adopting sanctuary status would actually put undocumented students are further risk for deportation, student activists were unsatisfied with her response.

Faust said she is worried calling Harvard a “sanctuary campus,” a term she argued has no legal significance, could actually further endanger undocumented students at Harvard. She said she has met with members of Congress and other federal officials to discuss protections for undocumented students .