Kirk Carapezza

Boston

Managing Editor and Correspondent at GBH News (Boston, MA)

Twitter/X skeptic. Alternative lawn advocate. I write independent higher ed stories, pick up trash in the park and post Ks at Fenway w/ @bostonkmen & @_thebase.

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Articles

Harvard sues Trump administration to halt freeze of more than $2 billion

2 days ago | npr.org | Kirk Carapezza |Leila Fadel

Harvard sues Trump administration to halt freeze of more than $2 billionHarvard is suing the Trump administration to stop it from taking away more than $2 billion in grants after the university said it would defy orders to change certain policies.
One year after pro-Palestinian protests, Emerson College faces enrollment drop

1 month ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

March 18, 2025 When Meira Fiber-Munro chose to enroll at Emerson College in Boston in 2023, she was drawn to the school’s celebrated journalism program and vibrant downtown campus. But after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel thousands of miles away from Boston, the response on campus gradually eroded her sense of safety and belonging. Pro-Palestinian protests erupted weekly on nearby Boston Common.
Student activists, free speech advocates challenge Boston College protest policy

1 month ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

March 11, 2025 Boston College is facing criticism over its protest policies after pro-Palestinian students said they had to wait more than two months for approval to demonstrate on the Chestnut Hill campus.
Harvard announces temporary hiring freeze

1 month ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

March 10, 2025 Harvard is temporarily freezing all hiring, the university announced Monday. The freeze will apply to staff and faculty within all schools and divisions of Harvard. Harvard President Alan Garber said the university needs to respond to “changes in federal policy” and prepare for the financial impact of such actions. Last week, the Trump administration announced it was canceling more than $400 million in grants and contracts with Columbia University.
Colleges quietly review DEI majors and courses, leaving students in limbo

1 month ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

March 10, 2025 Jaychele Nicole was active in social justice work as a teen, even organizing a 10,000-person protest after the murder of George Floyd. When it came time to apply to colleges, she enthusiastically picked Bentley University for its brand new DEI program. “I was like, ‘This is a perfect combination of my passions,’” the 20-year-old from Providence recalled. Now she isn’t sure if she’ll actually graduate with that degree.
Student journalists struggle for independence when cash is hard to find

1 month ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

February 25, 2025 Outside a modest basement room at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a sheet of paper hangs on the wall with “The WAR Room” scrawled across it. The student journalists inside are huddled around a table, strategizing what campus news to cover. Their Instagram feeds show there’s going to be another protest over the war in Gaza, and faculty are speaking out about the Trump administration’s cuts to biomedical research funding.
Boston University, MIT tighten budgets as they brace for federal funding cuts

2 months ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

February 13, 2025 Colleges and universities nationwide are bracing for potential federal funding cuts and policy changes under the Trump administration. In Massachusetts, at least two schools appear to be tightening their budgets. Boston University, New England’s largest private university, is requiring approval for all new full- and part-time hires.
Colleges, attorneys general challenge Trump’s research cuts

2 months ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

February 10, 2025 The Trump administration’s decision to limit federal funding for research overhead costs is facing strong opposition from colleges, universities and state attorneys general. Under a directive issued late Friday, institutions receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health can now allocate only 15% of that money toward indirect costs such as rent, building maintenance and lab equipment. The remainder must go directly to research.
Internal report highlights anxiety and self-censorship at Harvard, calls for change

2 months ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

January 31, 2025 A new internal report shared with GBH News on Friday paints a concerning picture of student life at Harvard University, revealing that many undergraduates are anxious, disengaged and hesitant to speak openly – both in class and beyond. The report, from the university’s Classroom Social Compact Committee, raises an existential question: what’s the purpose of a Harvard education?
College leaders decry Trump’s executive order targeting pro-Palestinian activists

2 months ago | wgbh.org | Kirk Carapezza

January 30, 2025 President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday promising to combat antisemitism on college campuses, through actions including revoking student visas and deporting some international college students involved in pro-Palestinian rallies. “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump said in a fact sheet on the order.