Watan-The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has officially begun intervening in academic freedoms and modifying university curricula in the United States by leveraging federal funding.
A recently disclosed official document revealed that Columbia University in New York imposed disciplinary sanctions on Thursday against students who participated in “Pro-Gaza” demonstrations at Hamilton Hall during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year, in response to the Israeli war on the besieged Palestinian territory.
This action came hours after the Anti-Semitism Task Force, established by the Trump administration, informed the university that immediate measures were a “prerequisite for formal negotiations regarding the continuation of Columbia University’s financial relationship with the U.S. government.” According to a memorandum from the Trump administration, the disciplinary actions should include “long-term suspension and permanent expulsion,” which was already implemented. Additionally, the university temporarily revoked degrees for graduates as a punitive measure.
The federal task force, established under an executive order issued by Trump to combat anti-Semitism, has been investigating Columbia University for allegedly restricting Jewish students. On Thursday morning, the task force sent an official letter to the university administration stating that “the university must complete the disciplinary process for the Hamilton Hall events by enforcing strict penalties, including expulsion or long-term suspension.” Within hours of this request, Columbia University complied.
Last week, the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health, along with the General Services Administration, announced a comprehensive review of more than $5 billion in federal funding allocated to Columbia University.
Federal Crackdown Expands to Other Universities
The federal task force, composed of officials from the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health, as well as representatives from Columbia University and nine other universities, is investigating alleged failures in “combating anti-Semitism.” The letter suggested that prior meetings had taken place and that Columbia’s administration had sought guidance from the task force on steps required to restore its federal funding.
These actions indicate that what was applied to Columbia University will be extended to other institutions. The task force is conducting visits to George Washington University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Northwestern University, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of California Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Southern California.
Student Protests and University Crackdown
In April 2024, hundreds of students blocked entrances to Hamilton Hall at Columbia University, while dozens occupied the building, protesting against the Israeli assault on Gaza, which by then had entered its sixth month since October 7, 2023. The protesters renamed the hall and raised a banner reading “Hind Hall,” in honor of Palestinian child Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in January 2024.
In May 2024, Columbia University announced that 44 individuals were arrested in Hamilton Hall, including 13 non-students, six students from other universities, and 23 Columbia students, among them nine graduate students and two university employees.
Federal Funding Conditions and Restrictions
The federal task force has outlined steps that U.S. universities must implement to maintain government funding. The U.S. government has already frozen $400 million in federal funds designated for Columbia University.
The required measures include:
- Disciplinary actions against last year’s student protesters (already implemented).
- Centralizing disciplinary authority in the hands of the university president, granting them direct power to suspend or expel students with appeals handled through their office.
- Prohibiting face coverings intended to conceal identities or intimidate others.
- Mandatory university ID possession.
- Enforcing strict campus conduct rules to prevent disruptions to education and research.
- Holding student organizations accountable through formal investigations, disciplinary actions, and expulsions as necessary.
- Defining anti-Zionism as a form of anti-Semitism and officially adopting a formal definition of anti-Semitism.
- Granting campus security full law enforcement powers, including the authority to arrest and remove individuals who create an unsafe or hostile environment.
Additionally, the Trump administration demanded Columbia University place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies departments under “academic oversight” for at least five years. The administration also required the university to present a comprehensive reform plan for its admissions policies, international hiring practices, and graduate school admissions in compliance with federal laws and policies.
The official letter, signed by officials from the Departments of Health, Education, and the General Services Administration, demanded immediate compliance and called for a broader conversation about long-term structural reforms to restore Columbia University’s “original mission of academic excellence and innovative research.”
It is worth noting that Trump has repeatedly emphasized banning face coverings on campuses in his speeches and social media posts, particularly after forming the federal task forces. Additionally, modifying Middle Eastern studies curricula to align with Israeli narratives has been a consistent demand from Republican and Israeli groups.
Crackdown on Palestinian Activists
In a statement issued Friday, Columbia University clarified that its judicial body approved previously imposed disciplinary actions and that the Office of Student Life would oversee the return of suspended students. The university also pledged to enforce its rules more strictly and improve its disciplinary processes.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon warned Columbia University that it could lose federal funding if it did not take “additional measures to combat anti-Semitism on campus.” The university responded that it would cooperate with federal task forces established by the Justice Department.
As part of the Trump administration’s broader approach to student protests in support of Palestine, which officials have repeatedly labeled “anti-Semitic,” the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil on Saturday night.
Khalil, a leading student activist at Columbia University, was a member of the university’s negotiation committee during last year’s protests against the Israeli war on Gaza. The Trump administration plans to deport him, with the president himself expressing pride in the arrest and vowing to detain more student activists. Trump declared that Khalil’s deportation would be the first of many.
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