Trump Administration’s Ultimatum to Columbia University Over Campus Protests

Columbia University is currently facing a significant ultimatum from the Trump administration, which has presented nine specific demands that the institution must address to restore approximately $400 million in federal funding. These demands encompass a range of policy and structural changes, including:

• Ban on Face Masks: Implementing a campus-wide prohibition on the use of face masks intended to conceal identities or intimidate others.
• Security Enhancements: Empowering campus security personnel with arrest authority to strengthen enforcement capabilities.
• Admissions Reforms: Overhauling undergraduate and graduate admissions processes, as well as international recruiting practices, to ensure compliance with federal guidelines.
• Antisemitism Definition: Adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to address concerns about campus climate.
• Academic Receivership: Placing the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies department under a five-year academic receivership to monitor and guide its activities.

These measures are being pursued following a series of pro-Palestinian protests on campus, which the administration argues have fostered anti-American sentiments and radical ideologies.

Critics, however, contend that such demands infringe upon academic freedom and constitutional rights. Columbia’s interim president, Dr. Katrina Armstrong, has committed to upholding the university’s values of free expression while addressing issues of harassment and prejudice.

The administration has already revoked federal grants and contracts without adhering to traditional procedural steps, and federal agents have arrested a Palestinian student protest leader, signaling a broader crackdown on campus activism.

The university’s response to these demands is being closely monitored by other institutions, as it may set a precedent for federal intervention in higher education.