UCLA will at least talk with the Trump administration about potential actions it can initiate to restore funding that was blocked over allegations that include claims of civil rights violations.
In nearly back-to-back announcements over the past week, the administration accused UCLA of civil rights violations and said it would "pay a heavy price." Then, it announced UCLA would be blocked from accessing hundreds of millions in grant funding.
UCLA is just one of many colleges and universities hit with similar Trump administration actions. The big decision for UCLA, according to the Los Angeles Times, is whether to negotiate terms of a settlement to get past the issues or try for a court fight.
The Times reported that in a series of meetings with faculty and staff Monday, senior university administrators said negotiations would at least be attempted.
Associate vice chancellor Marcia Smith spoke during a university virtual town hall and advised, "There is a time period to resolve the questions the government has for us," she said. She said that UCLA needed specifics from the administration "to talk about what kinds of information they need to lift these suspensions."
The Times reported that, included in the frozen government funding, were about 800 research grants administered by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. Smith told the UCLA audience that she was "very hopeful" that the university would "find a solution."
The university leadership finds itself caught in a vice, however, with the government pressuring on one side and many faculty and staff on the other, pushing for UCLA to fight.
The UCLA Faculty Association posted a communication to leadership that the Trump administration's views on things like diversity, equity, inclusion and antisemitic actions are all wrong. The board wrote that the administration used "the conflation of speech protesting Israel's genocide in Gaza with antisemitic speech."
Signed by over 1,200 faculty and graduate students, the letter promotes a court fight, not talking. "We demand that the UC Office of the President immediately challenge the Trump administration attacks."
The Trump administration is banking on recent settlements over similar issues with Columbia University and Brown University will help tip the scales in a huge financial dispute with Harvard and smaller monetary disputes like what is involved with UCLA.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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