News

Four Maine Colleges Sign Statement Opposing “Government Overreach”

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


At least four Maine schools are signing on to a public statement that’s being called a unified voice against the Trump administration’s “unprecedented government overreach” into American higher education.

Almost 250 schools nationwide have signed the statement so far, including the heads of Bowdoin College, Bates College, Colby College and the University of New England in Maine.

The Trumps administration has made certain demands from a number of high-profile U.S. Universities and vowed to withhold billions in federal funding if they fail to comply.

The public statement released Tuesday is titled. “A Call for Constructive Engagement.” It was written by the American Association of Colleges and Universities.

The Trump administration has received concessions to its demands – which typically include the rescinding of diversity, equity and inclusion standards and investigations into accusations of anti-Semitic actions on campus – from a number of high-profile schools, notably Columbia University.

The White House is currently involved in a well-publicized stand-off with Harvard University.

A White House task force on antisemitism has demanded that Harvard change its practices or face the loss of billions of dollars in federal funding. Those demands, as reported by WGBH, included changing its admissions practices, banning face masks, dismantling specific student groups, getting rid of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and reforming programs with a history of anti-Semitic bias.

Harvard rejected those demands, and the White House has said it will withhold more than $2 billion in federal funding from the university,

In response, Harvard filed a lawsuit this week, arguing the First Amendment protects its speech from the government’s pressure.

Latest Headlines

20 hours ago in Entertainment

‘Stand by Me’ stars reflect on the movie, Rob Reiner and its return to theaters 40 years later

Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman and Wil Wheaton were already thinking about "Stand by Me" when Rob Reiner died in December. Just a week prior, the trio spent a weekend together attending some screenings of Reiner's beloved coming-of-age film, which was about to turn 40.

20 hours ago in Sports, Trending

March Madness: Here’s one thing you need to know about each of the 16 teams remaining in men’s field

Florida isn't around to defend its title anymore, but all the other top seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament are still around. And many of them are winning convincingly.

20 hours ago in Entertainment

Stephen Colbert and son will co-write a ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie

Stephen Colbert, famous devotee to J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, is co-writing a "Lord of the Rings" movie with his son. Warner Bros. announced early Wednesday that Colbert will script "The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past" along with series veteran Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee, Colbert's son.

2 days ago in Entertainment, Trending

Now a true pop star, Miley Cyrus returns to her ‘Hannah Montana’ roots to fete anniversary special

Sporting that "Hannah Montana" blond hair and bangs, Miley Cyrus went back to her roots — celebrating 20 years of the TV show that launched the career of a real-life pop star.

3 days ago in Entertainment

Box Office: ‘Project Hail Mary’ blasts off with $80.5 million, a best for Amazon MGM, and the year

"Project Hail Mary" is bringing audiences to movie theaters in numbers the industry hasn't seen for a non-franchise film since "Oppenheimer." The science fiction epic starring Ryan Gosling earned around $80.5 million in ticket sales in its first weekend playing in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.