Columbia University Enacts Major Policy Changes Following Trump Administration Demands

Columbia University has agreed to implement significant policy changes in response to the Trump administration's ultimatum, which included freezing $400 million in federal funding due to concerns over antisemitism during campus protests. The reforms entail placing the Middle East studies department under new oversight, banning face masks during protests, and granting increased authority to campus police, including arrest powers. Interim President Katrina Armstrong announced these changes as part of a strategy to restore funding and enhance campus safety, despite facing backlash from faculty and free speech advocates who argue this infringes on academic freedom. The administration's demands included nine specific reforms aimed at addressing perceived failures in handling anti-Semitic incidents on campus. Critics have condemned the university's capitulation, arguing it represents an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into academic governance. This situation reflects broader tensions between campus policies and federal expectations regarding diversity and inclusion initiatives.