Columbia University agrees to comply with Trump administration's demands in fight over federal funding
Columbia University agrees to federal demands
Columbia University is making major changes following a federal ultimatum from the Trump administration: comply with nine demands or risk losing $400 million in federal funding. The reforms come in the wake of last year’s pro-Palestinian protests and the occupation of Hamilton Hall on campus. FOX 5's Jessica Formoso has the story.
NEW YORK - Columbia University has agreed to comply with a list of demands from the Trump administration in order to regain access to $400 million in federal funding. The funding was suspended over concerns about how the university was addressing antisemitism on campus following last spring’s pro-Palestinian protests.
In a memo titled "Advancing Our Work to Combat Discrimination, Harassment, and Antisemitism at Columbia" posted on the school's website, the school said it would take actions like identification of individuals participating in demonstrations, expansion of public safety personnel and expansion of intellectual diversity among staff.
What we know:
Columbia University received a letter earlier this month from the federal government outlining specific changes that needed to be made in response to concerns about antisemitism on campus. The deadline to respond was extended to the end of the day Friday.
The Trump administration had pulled around $400M in grants and contracts from the school earlier this month.
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"Universities must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding. For too long, Columbia has abandoned that obligation to Jewish students studying on its campus," Education Secretary Linda McMahon had said in a statement.
The demands
Among the Trump administration's conditions:
- Tightening protest restrictions, including banning face masks during demonstrations.
- Adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism.
- Beginning the process of placing Columbia’s Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under academic receivership. This would involve appointing an outside chair—possibly selected by the government—to run the department for five years.
The school will also empower 36 campus police officers to arrest students.
What they're saying:
In a letter to the university community earlier on Friday, Columbia’s interim president stated:
While Columbia has not publicly confirmed whether it will comply with every demand, sources indicate the university has yielded to the administration in an effort to restore its federal research funding.
The backstory:
The Trump administration’s actions came after large-scale pro-Palestinian protests on Columbia’s campus last spring. Officials argued that the protests crossed a line from political expression into harassment and intimidation of Jewish students.
The education secretary emphasized that the university must take responsibility for addressing these concerns if it wishes to maintain eligibility for federal support.