When the federal government funds research or gives money to college students, it does not fund institutions and should not dictate how schools are run. That might sound odd — he who pays the piper calls the tune, right? But for the sake of our most precious political good — freedom — such control must be avoided.

This applies to the Trump administration’s efforts to control institutions such as Harvard University and Columbia. If these and other schools do not undertake numerous changes, including ending diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI policies, rooting out perceived antisemitism, and fostering “viewpoint diversity,” the administration has said it will end research funding. Aid for students such as Pell Grants could also be at risk, as could the school’s tax-exempt status.

The ivory tower is raising defenses, including a lawsuit from Harvard, a letter from more than 200 college presidents denouncing federal interference, and even a possible Big Ten compact treating an attack on one member as an attack on all.

Ideally, we would........

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