The Ivy League school has become the face of conservatives’ fight with universities, largely due to its prominent pro-Palestinian movement that occupied its campus during the war in Gaza. After taking office, President Donald Trump pulled more than $400 million in funding from the university. As a condition for restoring the funds, it demanded sweeping changes to university protest policies, security, and the Middle Eastern studies department.
On Friday, Columbia’s interim President, Katrina Armstrong, announced the university would implement the demanded changes.
Among the agreed-upon changes were the hiring of a 36-member internal security force of “special officers” who can arrest or remove people from campus, the banning of face masks with religious or health exceptions, a commitment to institutional neutrality, and the adoption of a formal definition of antisemitism.
The new definition of antisemitism includes the targeting of Israelis, saying it could include “targeting Jews or Israelis for violence or celebrating violence against them” or “certain double standards applied to Israel.”
Another new provision requires anyone participating in demonstrations to present their University ID to a University Delegate or Public Safety officer when asked.
A senior vice provost was appointed to conduct a “thorough review” of the “Center for Palestine Studies; the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies; Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies; the Middle East Institute; the Tel Aviv and Amman global hubs; the School of International and Public Affairs Middle East Policy major; and other University programs focused on the Middle East.”
Though the agreement led to outrage among some faculty and students, Armstrong struck an optimistic note in her statement announcing the change, pitching the agreement as part of a wider effort toward progress over the past year.
“This past year has been one of enormous progress, where our community of thoughtful faculty, students, and stakeholders has shaped a principled and methodical approach to meeting the moment’s challenges. Our response to the government agencies outlines the substantive work we’ve been doing over the last academic year to advance our mission, ensure uninterrupted academic activities, and make every student, faculty, and staff member safe and welcome on our campus,” Armstrong said.
Sheldon Pollock, a retired former chairman of Columbia’s Middle Eastern studies department, told the New York Times that the school’s faculty were disheartened by the agreement.
“Columbia faculty are utterly shocked and profoundly disappointed by the trustees’ capitulation to the extortionate behavior of the federal government,” he said.
COLUMBIA PROTESTERS WHO SEIZED HAMILTON HALL LAST SPRING EXPELLED, SCHOOL ANNOUNCES
“This is a shameful day in the history of Columbia,” Pollock continued, adding that it would “endanger academic freedom, faculty governance and the excellence of the American university system.”
Columbia’s experience with pro-Palestinian protests turned it into a symbol of the domestic discord spurred by the war in Gaza. The saga climaxed last year with protesters’ occupation of Hamilton Hall, prompting a large police raid.
