Columbia University May Pay $200 Million To Settle Civil Rights Claims With Trump Admin: Report
Earlier proposals had included a consent decree — a legally binding agreement placing the university under federal oversight for years — but this is no longer part of the current discussions.
After the funding was cut in March, Columbia agreed to several demands from the Trump administration. These included empowering campus police to arrest students, restricting mask use during protests, and increasing control over its Middle Eastern Studies department. These actions were intended to address concerns about anti-Semitism on campus.
The controversy began following protests against the war in Gaza in 2023, when some Jewish students reported harassment and intimidation. Critics accused the university of ignoring these problems. The Trump administration threatened to revoke Columbia's accreditation, which would have jeopardised all federal funding.
In June, US Education Secretary Linda McMahon had said Columbia 'looked the other way as Jewish students faced harassment" and violated Title VI, a law protecting against discrimination by federally funded institutions.
'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," McMahon had said in a statement.
The issue drew wider attention when Republican lawmakers questioned university leaders about anti-Semitism in higher education. Columbia's former president, Minouche Shafik, resigned in August amid the pressure.
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