Johns Hopkins University threatened with funding cuts over antisemitism claims
In a letter sent out Monday, the Education Department warned 60 colleges, including Johns Hopkins University, that they could lose federal funding if they fail to make campuses safe for Jewish students.
"The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.
Last Friday, the education department's Office for Civil Rights said its top priority would be cases of antisemitism. Following that decision, the Trump administration said it was cutting $400 million from Columbia University over its failure to address antisemitism on campus.
Pro-Palestinian protests
Hopkins was one of many institutions where the administration had to balance free speech with campus safety amid pro-Palestinian protests.
On April 25, 2024, dozens of protesters peacefully gathered at JHU to stand in solidarity with Gaza, calling for a divestment from Israel.
JHU president Ronald Daniels issued a letter to protest organizers and participants, describing the encampment as "problematic" and inconsistent with the university's core values.
A day later, a Jewish student who remained anonymous told WJZ she was fearful after being attacked on campus by a person carrying a Palestinian flag.
Protesters set up an encampment and continued to organize rallies. Baltimore Police said they stood with "every person's First Amendment rights," and that they would not shut down the protests unless there was a credible threat of violence.
The protesters wanted Hopkins to cut ties with Tel-Aviv University in Israel, where a two-year Master of Arts program partnership was recently established.
JHU and student protesters reached an agreement to end the encampment on May 12, 14 days after the protests began.
JHU funding cuts
Last week, Daniels said he was preparing for the possibility of major cuts to programs and staff at JHU, according to the Baltimore Banner. In a letter, Daniels said more than $800 million in foreign aid contracts managed by the Hopkins School of Medicine, the Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs, and the affiliated humanitarian aid group, Jhpiego, had been terminated.
Those cuts come on top of the potential cut of $200 million in yearly funding for biomedical research if a measure issued by the Trump administration is allowed to stand. In February, JHU joined a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration after the National Institute of Health announced that it would be limiting funding for overhead costs associated with research projects, including a 15% cap on indirect costs for NIH research grants.
