Columbia University has agreed to a list of demands laid down by United States President Donald Trump in return for negotiations to reinstate its $400m federal funding which he revoked last month citing “a failure to protect Jewish students from antisemitic harassment”. However, the move has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that it could fundamentally alter academic freedom and the right to free speech in the United States.

Some of the key concessions that Columbia University has agreed to include banning face masks, empowering campus police officers with special powers to arrest students, and establishing a new senior provost to oversee the department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies and the Center for Palestine Studies. The Trump administration had demanded that the school place the Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies department into “academic receivership” for five years.

Activists and academics have responded to the move with criticism, arguing that the government’s demands go far beyond traditional compliance or conduct policies and that they amount to an attempt to stifle pro-Palestinian voices. The government’s efforts to deport students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests have also raised concerns about academic freedom and due process.

Legal efforts are underway to prevent universities from sharing information about students with the government, amid concerns that universities may be pressured into handing over sensitive data on students, particularly those from Muslim or Arab backgrounds.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/22/how-columbia-gave-in-to-trumps-demands-to-get-its-400m-funding-back?traffic_source=rss