The Trump administration suddenly withdrew $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University, creating pall factions on at least nine campuses, fearing they might be the next one.
The schools, a combination of public universities and Ivy League institutions, have been included on what the Justice Department calls official administrative schools, saying they may fail to protect Jewish students and teachers.
Teacher leaders in many schools strongly oppose claiming their campuses are a hotbed of anti-Semitism, noting that while some Jewish students complain that they feel insecure, the vast majority of protesters are peaceful, and many are Jewish in their own right.
The Trump administration has made targeted higher education a priority. This week, the president threatened to punish any schools that allow “illegal” protests in social media posts. On January 30, his 10th day in office, he signed an executive order to combat anti-Semitism, focusing on what he calls anti-Semitism in “left” universities. Then, on February 3, he announced the establishment of a multi-task force to carry out the mission.
The task force seemed to take action quickly after a pro-Barnard College was held at Barnard College, a partnership school in Columbia on February 26. Two days later, the government released a list of 10 schools in a review, including Columbia, including the ruins of the large Pro-Palestinian camp last year.
It said it will pay the school access as part of the review process to consider “whether it is necessary to take remedial measures.” Then on Friday, it announced it would cancel millions of grants and contracts with Colombia.
Former Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned after appearing on a House committee last year.
The same is true for George Washington University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern University; University of California Los Angeles; University of California at Berkeley; University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.
The Trump administration’s funding and actions targeting schools show that their tolerance for anti-Semitism has caused internal recalibration of schools across the country. Some have stepped up lobbying efforts, including hiring lobbyists who have contacted Mr. Trump.
Many campuses have already hit students in protests. More about dialing or renaming efforts related to diversity, to avoid the anger of Trump officials who vowed to end such plans
Many have suspended recruitment and have reduced the number of doctoral students admitted to financial uncertainty.
Some school officials say they face “existential threats.” Nevertheless, many presidents have remained silent or silent in public statements about Trump’s actions against the department, seemingly worried about the new administration.
“Committed to ensuring that our Jewish community is embraced, respected and can thrive at Harvard, as well as our efforts to face-to-face with anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred,” Harvard said in a statement Saturday.
Days after Mr. Trump’s inauguration, President Alan M. Garber interacted with other executive leaders to the university.
“Our efforts will be guided by our values and commitments during these challenging times: support academic excellence and the pursuit of knowledge; embrace open inquiries, constructive dialogue and academic freedom.”
The selection criteria on the access list are vague, but the House Education and Workforce Committee included many schools in a report last October that claimed they allowed anti-Semitic behavior by students and faculty.
The report criticized Harvard leaders for initially failing to condemn the October 2023 attack on Israel.
Northwest and its President Michael Schill were also attacked by the House Committee and then led by North Carolina Republican Representative Virginia Foxx. The committee’s report criticized the university for negotiating “radical anti-Israel faculty” with protesters.
UC Berkeley was identified in the House report because they did not discipline students attending camps or Israeli spokespersons.
“We are confident that we have now taken the right process to deal with any anti-Semitic incidents,” Berkeley said on Saturday. The statement cites an advisory committee formed by Jewish student life and campus anti-Semiticism.
While several schools were the focus of campus protests, others were even more surprising.
Minnesota law professor Richard Painter is one of the people who complained about the university’s anti-Semitism. He has had events on campus, including anti-Israel statements posted by teachers on official department websites.
Even so, Mr. Mr., a former White House ethics lawyer, during the George W. Bush administration, wondered if the school was targeted because it was located in the congressional district of Israel and Mr. Trump’s vocal critic Ilhan Omar, and the hometown of Governor Tim Walz, who ran for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Some of it is political,” he said in an interview Saturday.
University of Minnesota officials could not be contacted for comment, but efforts have been made to resolve the complaints. The board is expected to vote by resolution next Friday All departments are prohibited from making political statements on issues that day.
There is evidence that sit-ins at Barnard last month accelerated the administration’s action against Colombia, which led to other protests last week. Barnard’s decision to expel two students who interrupted Israeli classes sparked protests.
Six days after the initial Barnard interference, the government issued a notice to Colombia on the grounds that a $51 million federal contract would be reviewed.
The next day, Mr. Trump issued a statement on the truth social remarks: “All federal funds will be stopped at any university, school or university that allows illegal protests.”
In a press release Friday announcing the cancellation of $400 million in grants and contracts, the task force also accused Colombia of failing to respond to early notices, while anti-Semitic harassment continues on or near campus.
On Friday, Colombia said it was reviewing the government’s announcement and committed to working with the government.
Also on Friday, newly installed Education Minister Linda McMahon met with Dr. Katrina Armstrong, interim president of Colombia. Ms McMahon issued a statement saying that schools “must comply with all federal anti-discrimination laws” to obtain federal funds.
Amid a series of execution orders from the White House, the task force’s roster was released in late February.
Task Force members include Senior Justice Department attorney Leo Terrell. The effort to arrive at Mr Terrell was unsuccessful on Saturday. It is not clear whether there are any campus visits.
