Follow Steve Postal: @HebraicMosaic
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The Trump administration continues to increase pressure against Columbia University in an attempt to steer it away from the anti-Semitism that has plagued the university.
Columbia student and Palestinian protestor Leqaa Kordia has been arrested (a second time) and will be deported back to the West Bank for participating in pro-Hamas riots in Columbia University. Columbia student and Indian national Ranjani Srinivasan had his visa revoked following pro-Hamas activities, and chose to self-deport using the CBP App. And proceedings were initiated to deport Columbia student and Syrian national Mahmoud Khalil for intimidating Jewish students and distributing pro-Hamas propaganda.
Additionally, the Trump administration is seeking systemic change in Columbia’s policies towards anti-Semitism. A new letter signed by the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, and the General Services Administration alleges that Columbia “…has fundamentally failed to protect American students and faculty from antisemitic violence and harassment in addition to other alleged violations of Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
The letter charges Columbia to make “immediate next steps” to resolve these issues, to document and report on progress by March 20, and to act on the following:
- Enforce existing disciplinary policies. The University must complete disciplinary proceedings for Hamilton Hall and encampments. Meaningful discipline means expulsion or multi-year suspension.
- Primacy of the president in disciplinary matters. Abolish the University Judicial Board (UJB) and centralize all disciplinary processes under the Office of the President. And empower the Office of the President to suspend or expel students with an appeal process through the Office of the President.
- Time, place, and manner rules. Implement permanent, comprehensive time, place, and manner rules to prevent disruption of teaching, research, and campus life.
- Mask ban. Ban masks that are intended to conceal identity or intimidate others, with exceptions for religious and health reasons. Any masked individual must wear their Columbia ID on the outside of their clothing (this is already the policy at Columbia’s Irving Medical Center).
- Deliver plan to hold all student groups accountable. Recognized student groups and individuals operating as constituent members of, or providing support for, unrecognized groups engaged in violations of University policy must be held accountable through formal investigations, disciplinary proceedings, and expulsion as appropriate.
- Formalize, adopt, and promulgate a definition of antisemitism. President Trump’s Executive Order 13899 uses the IHRA definition. Anti-“Zionist” discrimination against Jews in areas unrelated to Israel or Middle East must be addressed.
- Empower internal law enforcement. The University must ensure that Columbia security has full law enforcement authority, including arrest and removal of agitators who foster an unsafe or hostile work or study environment, or otherwise interfere with classroom instruction or the functioning of the university.
- MESAAS Department – Academic Receivership. Begin the process of placing the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department under academic receivership for a minimum of five years. The University must provide a full plan, with date certain deliverables, by the March 20, 2025, deadline.
- Deliver a plan for comprehensive admissions reform. The plan must include a strategy to reform undergraduate admissions, international recruiting, and graduate admissions practices to conform with federal law and policy.
This follows a letter that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) sent to Columbia University and 59 other colleges and universities; the Trump administration earlier this month rescinding $400 million in grants to Columbia University and the review of over $5 billion in total grants, over concerns regarding the university’s failure to address anti-Semitism on campus; and the targeted investigations of Columbia and four other universities in February by the Department of Education over anti-Semitism.
Columbia has asserted that it has expelled some students, suspended others, and revoked others’ degrees over the recent anti-Semitic riots, but would not disclose specific identities or numbers. Hopefully the Trump administration can continue to bring to justice those that harass Jewish students and distribute Hamas propaganda, while effecting durable change on Columbia University and other colleges and universities.
