Columbia agrees to Trump calls for on campus antisemitism to win again $400 million federal funding: report
Columbia University has reportedly agreed to a series of sweeping changes the Trump administration demanded from the university to restore $400 million in suspended federal funding.
The university will give police new powers to arrest students, ban face masks at protests, and appoint a university official to oversee changes at its department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies and Center for Palestine Studies.
“We have worked hard to address the legitimate concerns raised both from within and without our Columbia community, including by our regulators, with respect to the discrimination, harassment, and antisemitic acts our Jewish community has faced in the wake of October 7, 2023,” the university said in a memo obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
The White House had accused the university of failing to stop on-campus antisemitism during large-scale pro-Palestine protests in 2023 and 2024, and demanded the university make the changes in a letter sent to campus officials last week.
The academic world has been closely watching for Columbia’s response to the demands, part of the administration’s attempts to stop what it sees as rising antisemitism and pro-Hamas sentiment on campus.
Critics say the Trump administration is in fact attempting to crack down on criticism of the U.S.-Israel alliance and stifle left-leaning speech more broadly.
Some, like Columbia’s Jewish alumni association, had called for the school to accept the changes.
“We urge Columbia to ignore all media framing, TAKE THIS LIFELINE, and act decisively now to restore the mission and the future of the university,” it wrote in a statement on X on Wednesday. “This has been an immensely difficult time. Let’s not lose this opportunity to restore our beautiful school’s legacy.”
Others saw the White House stance as a sign of encroaching authoritarianism.
“This attempt to discipline and control a university campus is a transparent hallmark of authoritarian rule and harshly violates the central mission of education: teaching, research, and service to the broader society for the public good. We also believe it to be illegal,” the American Association of University Professors said in a statement when the Trump administration first outlined its demands.
At the same time the administration has put pressure on Columbia financially, it has also directed immigration agents to arrest non-citizen students and recent graduates over their involvement in the pro-Palestine protests, arguing they threaten U.S. national interests.
The arrest this month of recent Columbia graduate and U.S. legal permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil has become a widely watched case around the country.
The administration accuses Khalil, a campus protest leader, of supporting Hamas, which he denies. Khalil is challenging his detention and argues it violates his First and Fifth Amendment rights.
The university has taken other controversial actions on its own, including a expelling a Jewish student union leader who participated in the protests right before contract negotiations.
Other universities may soon experience something like Columbia.
The Department of Education warned at least 60 colleges and universities this month of their obligations to protect the rights of Jewish students, noting federal financial support “is a privilege, and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal anti-discrimination laws.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
Source: independent.co.uk
