Columbia University has agreed to meet Donald Trump's requirements for various policy changes after he threatened to remove $ 400 million in government grants from the Ivy League institution.
The Trump government drew the subsidies and other federal financing and had threatened to cut more about the handling of the University of unbridled protests against Israel.
Those protests led to holding activist Columbia Grad -student Mahmoud Khalil by ICE, 30, a legal resident in the US, for his role in the demonstrations.
The changes, detailed in a letter from the interim president of the university, Katrina Armstrong, came a week after the Trump government ordered the Ivy League school to implement reforms or to lose all federal financing.
In her letter, Armstrong said that the university would immediately point out a senior vice -provost to carry out a thorough assessment of the portfolio of its regional study programs, “immediately starting with the middle -east.”
Columbia will also renew its long -standing disciplinary process and bar protests in academic buildings. Students are not allowed to wear face masks on campus for hiding someone's identity. '
An exception would be made for people who wear health reasons.
In an attempt to expand 'intellectual diversity' within the university, Columbia will also designate new faculty members at the Institute for Israel and Jewish studies.
Columbia University has agreed to meet the requirements of Donald Trump for various policy changes after he threatened to remove $ 400 million in government subsidies from the Ivy League institution
The administration drew the subsidies and other federal financing and had threatened to cut more, about the handling of protests by the university against Israel's war against Hamas
It will also accept a new definition of anti -Semitism and expand programming in his Tel Aviv Center, a research shub based in Israel.
The White House has labeled the protests anti -Semitic, a label that was rejected by those who participated in the demonstrations led by students.
A message that was looking for comment was left with a spokesperson for the Education Department.
As a 'condition' for repairing the financing, federal officials demanded that the university to place its department of Midden -Eastern, South Asian and African studies under 'Academic RecoDership for at least five years'.
They also told the university to prohibit masks on campus, to adopt a new definition of anti -Semitism, to abolish its current process for disciplining students and to deliver a plan to “reform non -graduated admission, international recruitment and graduation methods.”
Historians had described the order as an unprecedented burglary on university rights that have long been treated by the Supreme Court as an extension of the first amendment.
On Friday, the proponents of freedom of expression immediately have the decision of Columbia to resign.
“A sad day for Columbia and for our democracy,” said Jameel Jaffer, the director of Knight First Amendement Institute at Columbia University, in a post on social media.
These protests led to holding activist Columbia Grad -Student Mahmoud Khalil, 30, a legal resident in the US, for his role in the demonstrations
The changes, detailed in a letter from the interim president of the university, Katrina Armstrong, came a week after the Trump government ordered the Ivy League school to carry out those and other reforms or to lose all federal financing
The president launched the dramatic movement “because of the constant inactivity of the school in the light of persistent intimidation of Jewish students,” said his administration.
It only represents a first round of canceled funds and extra cuts are expected.
Trump's educational secretary Linda McMahon said: 'Since October 7, Jewish students have had to deal with ruthless violence, intimidation and anti-Semitic intimidation on their campuses-all to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them.
“Universities must comply with all federal anti -discrimination laws if they receive federal financing.”
The announcement coincided with the recent Anti-Israël Campus protests at Barnard College, who was aggressively convicted of Trump.
'Agitators will be captured/or permanently sent back to the country they came from. American students are permanently deported or, depending on crime, arrested. No masks! “He explained on social media.
Trump officials said that the joint task force to combat anti -Semitism will continue to assess and coordinate with other federal agencies to move quickly.
That group consists of civil servants at the Ministry of Justice, the Education Department, the Heath and Human Services department and US General Services Administration (GSA).
Columbia, located in New York City, 'Abandoned (their) obligation for Jewish students who study on campus, “said civil servants.
Since the horrible attack, anti-Israel protests have been noticed throughout the country, including the most recently at Columbia University and Barnard College in Manhattan-a university bedness of pro-Gaza activism.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also shared that they will soon assess foreign holders of students visa that were arrested, although they were allowed to stay in the country.
This AI-in-switch assessment will also search for indications in news articles about the protests that have been on and off for the past year and a half.
Civil servants have already assessed 100,000 people in the visitor system of the student exchange.
