The American President says such a thing will cost the school it’s Federal Money….
President Donald Trump has changed everything in the span of seven weeks.
Some schools have already started rescinding admissions offers amid Trump’s hold on research money and purge of diversity programs. But in the days since his Friday blitz against Columbia, Harvard University instituted a hiring freeze and Johns Hopkins University plans to cut 2,000 jobs — reactions that have stunned faculty across the country and angered anti-war activists.
In what Trump officials say is an effort to crack down on antisemitism, the Education Department this week launched similar investigations into 60 additional schools, a move that could spark a new round of tensions on campuses.
Trump’s unprecedented decision to yank $400 million from Columbia and detain protest leader Mahmoud Khalil has fundamentally changed universities’ outlook and livelihoods. The president’s moves show how financially and politically exposed many of the nation’s most sought-after schools are — raising questions about their dependence on Washington, the next generation of scientists and the fundamentals of free speech and discrimination.
“I don’t think they will be appeased by any changes in policy or pledges to do better,” said Ted Mitchell, the former president of Occidental College who now leads the American Council on Education, said of the Trump administration. “I think that in some way, shape or form, they need to see the institutions experiencing pain and for there to be some blood on the floor.”…
…
“The federal government’s actions last Friday relate directly to Columbia’s failure to protect Jewish students’ civil rights, an obligation they undertook when agreeing to receive federal funding,” Education Department spokesperson Julie Hartman said in a statement. “Doing business with the federal government is a privilege, not a right. If educational entities want federal financial assistance, they must scrupulously adhere to all federal antidiscrimination law.”
The Trump administration’s task force on combating antisemitism is conducting site visits to 10 schools under investigation for incidents since Hamas’ October 2023 attack.
Columbia is facing a loss of up to $5 billion in federal grants and contracts. Roughly $250 million of the federal dollars Columbia lost came from the National Institutes of Health, a major funder across higher education that sent more than $300 million apiece in fiscal 2024 to most of the schools getting Trump’s early attention.
“All these universities are on notice,” Leo Terrell, who heads the administration’s task force from the Justice Department, told Fox News after the Columbia announcement….
…
“President Donald Trump’s crackdown on alleged antisemitism on college campuses is alarming students and instructors who say the administration is trying to outlaw criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza and bend universities to his will,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump says he’s just getting started…”
“What is clear is that Trump is willing to use the full power of the federal government, including its purse strings, to dramatically change behavior — by both students and administrators — on college campuses. Trump applauded the detention of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil and called it ‘the first arrest of many to come.’”
Associated Press: Trump demands unprecedented control at Columbia, alarming scholars and speech groups.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.