By Michael Katz. Media: Newsmax
Columbia University reached a landmark settlement with the Trump administration on Wednesday in which it will pay $221 million and pledge to reverse racially discriminatory practices and resolve civil rights violations against Jewish students.
The settlement came after four months of negotiations that started when the administration pulled approximately $400 million in federal grants, the New York Post reported. Most of that money will be returned under the settlement.
Columbia will pay $200 million to the U.S., as well as $21 million into a claims fund for Jewish employees who were discriminated against during anti-Israel on-campus demonstrations that followed Iranian-backed Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s military response in the Gaza Strip.
“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” Columbia acting President Claire Shipman said in a statement posted on the university’s website. “The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track.
“Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest.”
Columbia agreed to end all programming that discriminated against faculty or students — bringing it into compliance with the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision banning race-based affirmative action — and create faculty positions to broaden intellectual diversity, the Post reported.
The settlement further calls for Columbia to maintain a trained security force blocking demonstrations in academic spaces and coordinate with the New York Police Department to prevent a repeat of the takeover of Hamilton Hall by anti-Israel protesters during the spring of 2024. The university also will ban individuals from wearing masks during protests.
The university’s admissions office will step up the vetting of foreign applicants, quiz potential students about their reasons for wanting to study in the U.S., and share that data with the federal government, the Post reported. As part of its participation in the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program, the school will now be expected to report any disciplinary actions for those holding visas — including suspensions, expulsions, or arrests.
Disciplinary rules will no longer be governed by the faculty senate but, rather, by the Office of the Provost. On Tuesday, Columbia announced that dozens of students were going to be suspended or penalized — and a handful expelled — for a recent disruptive library demonstration and anti-Israel tent encampment that engulfed the campus last year, according to the Post.
Regional programs — specifically the Center for Palestine Studies; the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies; Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies; the Middle East Institute; and learning hubs in Tel Aviv and Amman, Jordan — will come under strict review from the senior vice provost to ensure they are “comprehensive and balanced,” the Post reported. Additionally, Columbia will comply with Title IX and no longer force women to compete with biological men in sports or use their locker rooms, housing, or other facilities.
It is not known what the effect of the settlement will have on the Trump administration’s fight with Harvard, which has filed a federal lawsuit after being stripped of $2.6 billion in federal funding, and other schools facing scrutiny regarding allegations of antisemitism and unfair hiring practices.
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