Daijiworld Media Network - New York
New York, Jul 13: Columbia University is reportedly on the verge of a landmark settlement with the Trump administration that could see the Ivy League institution pay over $200 million to resolve allegations of civil rights violations stemming from its handling of antisemitic harassment on campus. The potential deal, first reported by The New York Times, also paves the way for the restoration of $400 million in frozen federal research funding.
At the heart of the case are accusations that Columbia failed to adequately protect Jewish students from harassment, particularly in the wake of campus tensions following the Israel-Hamas conflict. The administration responded by revoking federal research grants and demanding sweeping institutional reforms.
As part of the settlement, Columbia would reportedly agree to:
• Resolve civil rights violation complaints
• Accept increased transparency in areas like admissions and foreign funding
• Implement oversight measures in campus security and academic programming
A key meeting between university officials and Trump administration representatives is expected next week at the White House, where terms of the agreement may be finalised.
Earlier proposals floated in April included placing Columbia under long-term federal supervision, but sources say that provision has now been dropped from the negotiations.
The settlement follows Columbia’s earlier acceptance of Trump administration conditions set in March, including:
• Empowering campus police to arrest students
• Restricting the use of masks during protests
• Imposing tighter control over its Middle Eastern Studies department
These actions allowed negotiations for restoring funding to resume. Still, Columbia’s willingness to engage rather than challenge the administration legally has drawn sharp criticism from academic circles, many viewing it as a capitulation to political pressure.
In contrast, Harvard University has taken a defiant approach, choosing to sue the federal government over similar accusations and funding freezes. However, Harvard is now reportedly back at the negotiating table as well, seeking the return of billions in federal grants.
Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, defended the university’s strategy in a June letter to the community:
“Following the law and attempting to resolve a complaint is not capitulation.”
If finalised, Columbia would become the first major university to formally settle with the Trump administration over the alleged mishandling of antisemitism-related complaints that led to sweeping federal funding cuts.
The issue escalated in March, when the administration announced it was withdrawing federal research support from Columbia due to reported antisemitic incidents. Other institutions—including Harvard, Cornell, and Northwestern—also faced funding penalties.
The funding freeze significantly impacted Columbia’s research programmes. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suspended nearly all research grants, with watchdog group Grant Watch estimating that approximately $1.18 billion in NIH funds had been affected. Additional funding was also pulled by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies.
The potential settlement signals a major turning point in the tense standoff between elite universities and the federal government over campus free speech, safety, and civil rights compliance—issues that are expected to remain front and center in the upcoming U.S. presidential election cycle.