Columbia has a day to decide: Agree to Trump demands in antisemitism fight or lose $400 million

Academics around the country are watching the case of the Ivy League school, as Trump administration threatens sweeping consequences against universities over alleged antisemitism

Columbia University faces a Thursday deadline to respond to a sweeping set of demands from the Trump administration, which has made an unprecedented threat to permanently pull $400 million in federal funding unless the Ivy League university makes changes to address how it responds to antisemitism on campus.

Last week, the administration said that as a “precondition” of maintaining financial ties to the federal government, the university would need to ban face masks, up police powers on campus, change its disciplinary process, put its department of Department of Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies under receivership, and adopt a definition of antisemitism that critics say bars criticizing Israel, among other changes.

The threats from the White House have prompted a wide range of opinions from observers.

Some, like Columbia’s Jewish alumni association, 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 argue that the Trump administration is trying to exert authoritarian control over the campus, where left-leaning protesters have sharply criticized both the Biden and Trump White House’s role in supporting Israel during its conflict with Hamas, a war that human rights groups say has morphed into a genocide.

Columbia has been focus of protests against Israel-Hamas war and crackdown on campus protest since late 2023 (AP)

“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.

Legal experts say the Trump administration may have skipped key steps in a provision of the Civil Rights Act in asserting campus discrimination against Jews at Columbia.

“There has been no express finding, there has been no record, there has been no opportunity for a hearing,” Samuel Bagenstos, a law professor at the University of Michigan and former general counsel for the Health and Human Services Department told The Associated Press. “This is just dramatically in violation of the procedural requirements under Title VI.”

Critics say the administration is already cracking down on campus dissent, pointing to the recent immigration arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia grad and U.S. green card holder who was detained by immigration agents at a university-owned apartment.

The White House has admitted Khalil, who could soon be deported, did not break any laws, but rather that the Secretary of State determined his protest activities were harmful to U.S. policy interests.

Other campuses will be keenly watching for Columbia’s response.

The Department of Education has warned at least 60 colleges and universities they could face repercussions if they’re deemed to have failed to protect Jewish students.

The White House has also pushed universities on other issue areas, suspending $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania because it allows a transgender athlete in its swimming program.