by EuroNews with AP
It’s published
Columbia University said Wednesday it had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million (€186.76 million) to resolve a dispute over federal research funding that was drawn up amid accusations of anti-Semitism on campus.
Under the contract, Ivy League schools will pay a setback of $200 million (169.79 million euros) over three years, the university said.
According to the White House, it plans to pay an additional $21 million (17.83 million euros) to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“This agreement takes an important step after a sustained period of federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” said University President Claire Shipman.
The university was tHreated with potential losses of billions of dollars Government support includes $400 million (339.62 million euros) of grants cancelled earlier this year.
Colombia, which allegedly failed to address anti-Semitism on campus during the Israeli-Hamas war, was cited as a reason for the withdrawal of funds.
Since then, Columbia has agreed to a set of terms, including revisions to the student disciplinary process and adoption of a federally approved definition with a dispute of opposition. This applies not only to education, but also to disciplinary committees examining students who are critical of Israel.
Shipman said Wednesday’s agreement does not include approval of fraud — codified these reforms while maintaining university autonomy.
The agreement also includes a review of Colombia’s Middle Eastern Curriculum, which will confirm that it is “comprehensive and balanced” and appoint new faculty members to the Institute of Israeli and Jewish Research.
He also committed to ending programs that promote racial-based outcomes, citations, diversity goals, or illegal efforts to achieve similar efforts.
President Donald Trump said in a post Wednesday night about his true social platform that Columbia “promised to end their ridiculous DEI policies, recognize students based solely on merit, and protect the civil liberties of students on campus.”
He also warned specifically that “many other higher education institutions are approaching, which have hurt so many people, are unfair and unjust and have mistakenly spent most of the government’s federal money.”
Colombia’s protests followed
The agreement between major US universities and the Trump administration follows several months of negotiations at universities for over 270 years.
It was one of the first targets of Trump’s crackdown. Protests on pro-Palestinian campus And at the university he claims, Jewish students allowed harassment and threats.
Colombia’s own anti-Semitism task force discovered that Jewish students faced verbal abuse and expulsion during the 2024 demonstrations.
However, other Jewish students who attend the rally as well as protest leaders said they are not targeting Jews, but criticizing the Israeli government and the war in Gaza.
