September 27, 2025
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Colleges Split Over How to Respond to Trump

The Trump administration has mounted investigations into the University of California system and demanded it repay or justify more than $1 billion in research funding, prompting divergent responses across UC’s 10 campuses. Campus leaders, regents, faculty and Gov. Gavin Newsom are at odds over strategies — negotiating with federal officials, complying by handing over complaint-related names, or suing and resisting — reflecting a broader national clash over academic freedom, federal oversight and campus safety.

Education Politics Legal

📰 Sources (1)

Give In or Fight Back? Colleges Are Torn on How to Respond to Trump.
Nytimes by Alan Blinder and Stephanie Saul September 27, 2025
New information:
  • The University of California system comprises 10 campuses and is the immediate target of the administration's inquiries.
  • The Trump administration has demanded more than $1 billion related to research funding and has launched multiple investigations.
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly urged defiance while some campus officials have handed names of students and employees linked to antisemitism complaints to federal authorities; Harvard has already rejected the administration's demands and sued.