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The Trump administration turned its fight with Columbia University up to « 11 » on Wednesday when the Education Department advised the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), an organization that grants academic accreditation to colleges and universities, that Columbia University violated Title VI for allegedly tolerating harassment of Jewish students after the October 7 attack in Israel.
“After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “This is not only immoral, but also unlawful.”
The administration canceled $400 million in federal grants to the school in March and has been engaged in negotiations that would restore at least some of that funding. Columbia is balking at some of the conditions being imposed by Washington, including reforming admissions to reduce the emphasis on race, nor will the school put its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) department under “academic receivership” for a minimum of five years, as the administration demanded.
In late March, Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, resigned after a leaked transcript revealed she had no intention of obeying Trump administration demands to reform. She was the second Columbia president to resign in seven months.
MSCHE was informed by the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of Columbia’s violations and reminded that « by federal regulations, accreditors are required to notify any member institution about a federal noncompliance finding and establish a plan to come into compliance.
