On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee, led by Republicans, issued a subpoena to Alan Gerber, Harvard’s president, amid allegations of coordination with other Ivy League schools concerning rising tuition fees.
GOP lawmakers expressed that the subpoena was necessary due to insufficient documentation provided by Harvard regarding investigations into potential collusion among universities to raise tuition rates and alter financial aid offers.
The committee is seeking access to documents and communications between Harvard and other institutions, along with correspondence with the university’s board and information about meal plan purchases and on-campus housing requirements.
“79 days have passed since our first request on April 8th, and despite our attempts to engage constructively, Harvard’s response falls short. Thus, we must proceed with this subpoena to gather the necessary information for our oversight duties,” the committee stated.
They noted that Harvard has only produced about 400 documents, which is fewer compared to what other Ivy League schools have provided. Republicans argue that much of the information in those documents is already publicly available.
The subpoena was issued by Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wisc.), who chairs the Subcommittee on Executive State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust.
Harvard is expected to prepare additional materials by July 17th.
Comment from Harvard on this development has been sought but is pending.
Democrat Jaime Raskin (D-MD), a member of the Justice Committee, criticized the subpoena, suggesting it reflects a misuse of Congress’s investigative powers aligned with the agenda of former President Trump.
This action follows Trump’s comments indicating that his administration and Harvard were nearing a resolution after a period characterized by halted funding and threats related to the university’s tax-exempt status and international student enrollment.
The specifics of any agreement, including whether it might resolve two pending lawsuits involving Harvard and the administration, remain unclear. One of the lawsuits pertains to actions surrounding funding and international students.
