Why Columbia opted to settle with the Trump administration in a high-stakes civil rights case
Columbia University is nearing a settlement with the Trump administration that may result in the university paying approximately $200 million to resolve civil rights violation claims.
The case centres on allegations that Columbia failed to protect Jewish students from harassment, particularly following tensions that arose during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In addition to the financial settlement, the agreement could see the restoration of around $400 million in federal research funding that had previously been revoked by the Trump administration. Columbia officials are expected to meet White House representatives next week to finalise the terms.
Allegations and impact on funding
The civil rights complaint against Columbia University accused the institution of not adequately addressing the harassment of Jewish students. As a consequence, on March 7, the Trump administration revoked millions in federal research grants. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) froze nearly all research-related funding to Columbia, including active grant reimbursements.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Zunido no ouvido? Imploro as brasileiras que usem este truque.
Receita Anti-Zumbido
Undo
Grant Watch, a research tracking body, estimated that roughly $1.18 billion in NIH funding had either been suspended or withdrawn.
Other federal bodies, including the National Science Foundation, also ceased funding, significantly affecting Columbia's research operations. The university became one of several institutions targeted, alongside Harvard University, Cornell University, and Northwestern University.
Preconditions and shift in negotiations
In March, following the initial suspension of funds, Columbia agreed to several conditions set by the Trump administration. These included giving campus police authority to arrest students, limiting the use of face coverings during protests, and imposing stricter oversight on the Middle Eastern Studies department. These measures allowed further negotiations on the potential restoration of funding to proceed.
Earlier proposals included placing Columbia under long-term federal supervision through a legally binding agreement. However, current negotiations reportedly exclude that requirement.
Internal and external responses
Columbia's decision to pursue a settlement rather than challenge the federal government in court has drawn criticism within academic circles, where it has been labelled as a form of capitulation.
In contrast, Harvard University chose to sue the Trump administration over similar penalties but has recently restarted negotiations to recover its lost funding.
Claire Shipman, Columbia's acting president, defended the decision to negotiate. In a letter addressed to the university community in June, she stated that "Following the law and attempting to resolve a complaint is not capitulation."
If finalised, Columbia would become the first university to reach a formal settlement with the Trump administration over antisemitism-related allegations that resulted in the loss of federal research funds. The outcome of this case could influence how other academic institutions respond to future federal actions tied to campus conduct and civil rights compliance.
TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us
here
.
Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
13 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Education Department layoffs: Here's who could face the heat of Supreme Court order
Back in March, the Trump administration laid off 1,378 Education Department employees, following $1.5 billion in grant cuts, including $600 million for teacher training and $900 million for research. US District Judge Myong Joun blocked these layoffs in May, citing an illegal attempt to dismantle the department without congressional approval. However, the Supreme Court on Monday overturned the Boston court's injunction, enabling Education Secretary Linda McMahon to proceed with workforce reductions. Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks during a Senate Appropriations hearing(AP) ABC News, in March, cited senior officials to report that the impacted staff will be placed on administrative leave starting March 21. They will receive full pay and benefits through June 9. Read More: Education Department layoffs: Why Supreme Court's decision is 'willfully blind' and 'naive', judges explain Who could be laid off at the Education Department? K-12 Dive cited an organizational chart of the Education Department to detail the offices that were to be impacted by the March 11 layoffs. The report further listed about 970 union employees out of 1,300 employees who were let go. According to the report, the closure of seven of 12 Office for Civil Rights (OCR) regional offices (Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco) jeopardizes over 30 million K-12 students across 60,000 schools. Teachers: $600 million in training grants (eg, Supporting Effective Educator Development) were cut, with a $65 million restoration overturned. College students: Federal Student Aid (FSA) layoffs threaten FAFSA delays for 17 million families, including 800,000 Californians receiving $3.5 billion in Pell Grants. Civil rights advocates: 243 OCR staff, including attorneys, were cut, stalling investigations. Lawsuits by the NAACP and parents claim violations of Fifth Amendment rights. Employees: 1,378 workers, including 970 unionized staff, face termination, with 600 taking $25,000 buyouts. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was reduced to under 10 staff, as per the report.
NDTV
20 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Grok For Government": Pentagon Signs Deal With Musk's xAI
Washington: Elon Musk's xAI, which features a large language model that has spewed Hitler-supporting rhetoric and antisemitic tropes, said Monday it has signed a deal to provide its services to the US Department of Defense. Launched at the end of 2023, Grok has rarely been out of the headlines for its offensive gaffes, and will now offer its services as "Grok for Government." In addition to the Pentagon contract, "every federal government department, agency, or office (can now) purchase xAI products" thanks to its inclusion on an official supplier list, xAI added. After an update on July 7, the chatbot praised Adolf Hitler in some responses, denounced on X "anti-white hate", and described Jewish representation in Hollywood as "disproportionate." xAI apologized on Saturday for extremist and offensive messages, and said it had corrected the instructions that led to the incidents. The new version of the chatbot, Grok 4, presented on Wednesday, consulted Musk's positions on some questions it was asked before responding, an AFP correspondent saw. The contract between xAI and the Department of Defense comes even as Musk and President Donald Trump are locked in a bitter feud. The two men became close during Trump's latest run for the presidency and, following the inauguration, the Republican billionaire entrusted Musk with managing the new agency known as DOGE to slash the government by firing tens of thousands of civil servants. After ending his assignment in May, the South African-born entrepreneur publicly criticized Trump's major budget bill for increasing government debt. The president and the businessman engaged in heated exchanges on social media and in public statements before Musk apologized for some of his more combative messages. The government and the defense sector are considered a potential growth driver for AI giants. Meta has partnered with the start-up Anduril to develop virtual reality headsets for soldiers and law enforcement, while in June OpenAI secured a contract to provide AI services to the US military.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Over 20 states sue Trump over $6.8 billion frozen funds for after-school, summer programmes
More than 20 states have sued US President Donald Trump over the freezing of about $6.8 billion in funding for after-school, summer programmes and other programmes. The states have argued that the Donald Trump administration has violated the US Constitution by not considering Congress's sole authority over spending. (Bloomberg) Attorney generals or governors from 24 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration in federal court in Providence, Rhode Island. They argued that the US department of education and the office of management (OMB) and Budget brought chaos to schools across America by freezing funding for six programmes approved by Congress. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson told ABC News, "This is plainly against the law." He went on to explain from a legal standpoint that this is "against the Constitution, against the Impoundment Act. This is not a hard case". According to the Impoundment Control Act, 1947, Congress must note and review the executive branch withholdings of budget authority. This requires the President to report any such withholdings to Congress. ALSO READ | 20 US states sue Trump administration over sharing of medical aid data with deportation officials While the Trump administration has been going after Ivy League universities head-on, freezing millions and billions of dollars in funding, the freeze also extended to the money used to support migrant farm workers and their childrens' education, recruitment and training of teachers, English proficiency learning and academic enrichment, besides the after-school and summer programmes. The lawsuit filed against Trump said that his administration was legally required to release the funds to the states by July 1, Reuters reported. Instead, the education department notified them on June 30 that the funds would not be released under those programmes as per the deadline, citing the change in administration as its reason. At the time, an OMB spokesperson reportedly said, "ongoing programmatic review" of education funding and said initial findings showed what he termed as a misuse of grant funds to "subsidize a radical leftwing agenda." The department also raised objections to the grant money being used to support scholarship for immigrant students and LGBTQ-themed lessons. The Democratic-led states said that the freeze has resulted in cancellations of summer school and after-school programmes and the halting of other initiatives, with little time for schools to fill in the gaps in their budget. ALSO READ | Trump administration sues California over transgender athletes in schools The states have argued that the Trump administration has violated the US Constitution by not considering Congress's sole authority over spending and went against the federal administrative law by freezing funds without any logical explanation. They also said that the administration failed to abide by the Impoundment Control Act, which prevents the executive branch from single-handedly refusing to spend funds approved by Congress unless certain procedures are followed. Jackson further told ABC News, "If the courts don't act promptly, the consequences will be dire." He warned that districts face the threat of immediate harm as the school year is nearing. The North Carolina Attorney General said that the massive effect of the pause could also result in the firing of about 1,000 educators in the district. "Everybody knows when it comes to juvenile crime, you want a safe place for teenagers to be able to go, to be able to keep them out of trouble," Jackson said, adding that elimination of after-school programmes across the US has never been considered a "good idea". ALSO READ | 12 states sue Donald Trump administration in trade court to stop tariff policy Alabama State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey said that this will affect the students with the "greatest need". He told ABC News, "The loss of funding for those rural, poor, high poverty school districts, is just going to be, you know, more fuel for the fire that makes it more difficult to educate children in those communities." Christy Gleason, executive director of Save the Children Action Network, which provides after-school programming for 41 schools in rural areas of Washington and across the South, where the school year is set to begin as soon as August, said, "Time is of the essence." "It's not too late to make a decision, so the kids who really need this still have it," she added.
