Harvard Turns to Wealthy for Money to Fight Trump

Now that Harvard has committed to resisting the Trump administration's attempt to exert control over its policies, the university is looking for the money to bankroll the battle. Harvard's fundraising operation already has contacted some of its biggest givers, the Wall Street Journal reports. And alumni, many of whom said they're answering the call, have received emails about the university facing "a critical moment," with the administration freezing $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in federal contracts. Michael Bloomberg, John Paulson, and David Rubenstein are among the wealthy being pitched, per the Journal. Other alumni, many of whom had not donated in years or ever, provided their responses:

• Samuel Graham-Felsen: His reaction to such solicitations in the past, per the New York Times, was, "Why should I be giving to this place that has billions of dollars?" This time, the writer, who is Jewish, donated $108—a multiple of 18, a symbolic number in Judaism. He wanted to make the point that he doesn't buy Trump's argument that he's fighting antisemitism. "The more Trump punishes Harvard financially," Graham-Felsen said, "the more I will donate. I'm not a wealthy guy."
• Poppy Alexander: The San Francisco lawyer couldn't recall sending Harvard money before, but she did this week, per the Journal. "I believe in the old-fashioned model of the university as a place of learning and thinking," she said. "And I hope universities as they did exist still exist when my kids are there."

• Peter Malkin: Harvard's main athletic building is named for the lawyer and real estate investor. When the federal funding was frozen, he increased his usual donations. "The shame of all of this is that what is being damaged is science and medical research, which has really nothing to do with antisemitism," Malkin said.
• Jim Ehrman: The Napa lawyer emailed the Journal that he added up his donations to Harvard over the past decade, then sent twice that total this week, a four-figure donation. "Far from being big enough to even be a rounding error, I am convincing myself that I am making a statement in support of Harvard's 'No' to Trump," Ehrman wrote.

(More Harvard University stories.)