The demand letter states:
“An investment is not an entitlement.”
While the above statement may or may not be accurate in this matter (for example think about the concept of detrimental reliance), the most reasonable course of action would be for Harvard University to comply to the extent that it is willing to do so and to negotiate regarding the rest of the particulars.
If Harvard University is unwilling to bend and to negotiate, then prepare for several years of litigation in the hope that the next administration will be more accommodating/less demanding.
The truth, in my view, is that some of the federal government’s demands are reasonable in this time of unreasonableness.