Columbia University yields to Donald Trump’s demands with reform series

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The University of Columbia will review aspects of its government after the pressure of the Trump administration that has fueled the fears of restrictions on academic freedom in the United States.

Katrina Armstrong, interim president of Columbia, described on Friday a series of measures, including the centralization of disciplinary procedures against students and appoint a senior official to “review” their regional curricula, starting with those who cover the Middle East.

“At all times, we are guided by our values, putting academic freedom, free expression, open research and respect for all throughout every decision we make,” Armstrong said in a statement

The measure, which was criticized by the Faculty of the Ivy League Institution and the national academic associations, followed a fierce campaign directed by Republicans who allege anti -Semitism on their campus in New York City caused by protests after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 in Israel and the subsequent offensive of Israel in Gaza.

Federal officials withdrew $ 400mn in Columbia funds earlier this month and threatened to reduce future financial support unless the university quickly went to a series of reform demands.

That caused a week of intense negotiations that included the pressure of Columbia’s lawyers to prevent academic associations from launching legal challenges to the validity of the Trump administration demands.

He measures Announced on Friday included initiatives such as the centralization of the students’ discipline, the prohibition of masks that hide the identities of the protesters and appoint a senior vice-professional to review “all aspects” of leadership, curriculum and quotes of the faculty not inks and ensure that the offers of programs are “integral and balanced”.

However, the University did not meet the government’s demands to impose formal administrative administrative administration “in the Department of Studies of the Middle East, Asia del Sur and African for five years and abolish its judicial board. Instead, the president will have much more strict control over the membership of the Board.

Michael Thaddeus, vice president of the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Teachers, described the “deeply disappointing and alarming” measures.

Speaking in personal quality, he said: “The appointment of a new senior vice president for regional studies should not be used to monitor the content of research and teaching on contentious topics in Columbia. That would attack in the heart of our academic freedom.”

Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, said: “This undermines the force of American higher education, which presupposes the freedom of unjustified government intrusion and undue political influence on the curriculum.”

In a wink to the concerns of the Republicans and some academics that many American universities have been dominated by the faculty with more progressive opinions, Columbia also promised that their searches for a new faculty “will be expanded to guarantee intellectual diversity in our offers of courses and scholarships.”

He pointed out that there had been a recent recession in Jewish and African -American registration, and said that “we will examine those problems.”