Columbia college students manage dueling memorials and rallies each for Israel and Palestinians in Gaza on the one-year anniversary of the October seventh Hamas assault, on Oct. 7, 2024 in New York Metropolis.
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Alex Kent/Getty Pictures
The Trump administration says it has canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia College over what it described as the college’s failure to police antisemitism on campus.
The cancellation was introduced Friday in a joint assertion from the Division of Justice, Division of Well being and Human Providers, Division of Training and the U.S. Basic Providers Administration. The choice was carried out, the assertion mentioned, “as a result of faculty’s continued inaction within the face of persistent harassment of Jewish college students.”
It is unclear what packages on the faculty could also be affected by the cancellation. The statement mentioned the funding pullback was “the primary spherical of motion” and that “further cancellations are anticipated to observe.” The federal government additionally mentioned Columbia holds greater than $5 billion in federal grant commitments.
In a press release to NPR, a Columbia spokesperson mentioned the college was reviewing the announcement and pledged “to work with the federal authorities to revive Columbia’s federal funding.”
“We take Columbia’s authorized obligations critically and perceive how critical this announcement is and are dedicated to combating antisemitism and making certain the protection and wellbeing of our college students, school, and workers.”
The administration’s announcement marked the most recent flip within the long-running fallout at Columbia over its response to campus protests sparked by the warfare in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Because the protests unfolded, Columbia got here below heavy criticism from Republicans in Congress — in addition to some Democrats — who mentioned the college was failing to guard Jewish college students from antisemitism. Lots of these alleged acts of antisemitism have been first reported by the Columbia Spectator.
Final spring, the college administration publicly clashed with pro-Palestinian pupil demonstrators who demanded the college sell off its investments in corporations which have ties to Israel. In April, because the protests continued, the college finally shifted all classes to remote-only for the remainder of the time period. 4 months later, the college’s president, Minouche Shafik, resigned following a tenure that lasted little greater than a yr and was largely outlined by the protests.
President Trump has been extremely vital of pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Inside days of returning to workplace, Trump signed an executive order calling on the Division of Justice to “examine and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American schools and universities.”
Columbia is considered one of 10 universities that the Division of Justice has mentioned it is investigating following allegations that the faculties “might have failed to guard Jewish college students and school members from illegal discrimination.”
