Straws in the Wind - Part 41

From the Berkshire Eagle: As the spring semester wound down and students completed their final exams, faculty at Williams College received an unexpected email. Williams, the email said, had temporarily stopped accepting funds from new grants issued by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Unlike large research universities, Williams receives just a handful of NSF and NIH grants each year. But for some Williams professors, those few grants are essential...

NSF and NIH grants serve a number of important functions for researchers. Most obviously, funds from federal grants pay for lab equipment, student salaries and overhead expenses. But grants also facilitate collaboration. “All of my grants have been collaborative with other institutions,” said Luana Maroja, a biology professor. “If you remove our ability to apply, why will other institutions collaborate with us? We’re going to turn into an island.” ...

According to college communications, part of the sticking point stemmed from certain clauses added to new NSF and NIH grants. In particular, administrators highlighted one piece of language: “By accepting the awards, the recipients [Williams] are certifying that … they do not, and will not during the term of this financial assistance award, operate any programs that advance or promote DEI, or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws.” Crucially, the new grant language did not explain what constituted “discriminatory equity ideology.” ...

In recent months has the False Claims Act been used to target schools which allegedly violate civil rights laws... On May 19, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that he would launch a new initiative focusing on civil rights violations. The initiative would rely heavily on the False Claims Act and, in part, target schools... The False Claims Act is powerful for two reasons...

First, the law says an institution which knowingly submits a false claim — like accepting a grant while violating one of its contractual terms — can be held liable for triple damages. Second, the False Claims Act includes a “qui tam” provision, which allows private individuals to file a lawsuit on behalf of the government — and potentially receive a share of the reward. Because the government does not have the resources to identify all sources of potential fraud — especially across a sprawling higher education landscape — this provision allows whistleblowers, regardless of motive, to allege misconduct as well...

Full story at https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/northern_berkshires/williams-college-nih-nsf-grant-pause/article_c1fed19e-baf9-491c-9829-2e7176929329.html.