Society / StudentNation / The Graduate Students Taking on the World’s Richest University In public, Harvard has waged a battle against the Trump administration. This past commencement ended in a third way—most faculty, students, and families sat contently through the hours of ceremony. But the second Garber, or Provost John Manning, began speaking, echoes of clanging and booing reverberated around Harvard Yard as the Harvard Graduate Student Union crowded outside the university’s gates. By May 28, commencement day, the graduate students were on the 38th day of their strike and 15 months into negotiations for a new contract, which had expired June 30, 2025. The union has several key demands among the many articles on the table, starting with pay for graduate student workers, most often employed as teaching fellows or research assistants.