On Wednesday, the Trump administration threatened Columbia University’s accreditation status by informing the university’s accreditor that the institution had broken federal anti-discrimination statutes and that it “no longer appears to meet the Commissions accreditation standards.”
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights and the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) “determined that Columbia University acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Education said in a statement.
Columbia “failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia’s campus and consequently denied these students’ equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law,” according to the Education Department’s report following an investigation that started in February.
The Ivy League university has been in breach since the Middle East war started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists stormed Israel, murdering over 1,200 people and taking hundreds more captive, according to the Trump administration. In the Gaza Strip, Israel’s reprisal has resulted in almost 54,000 deaths.
“Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it,” it stated.
According to the government, the school has now broken the rules established by Columbia’s accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which stipulates that “a candidate or accredited institution possesses or demonstrates… compliance with all applicable government laws and regulations.” This was announced on Wednesday.
“In light of OCR’s determination, Columbia University no longer appears to meet the Commission’s accreditation standards,” according to the Education Department.
Columbia has “acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus” since October 7, 2023, according to a statement released by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who also referred to the school’s behavior as “immoral” and “unlawful.”
The government and the accreditor will collaborate, according to McMahon, “to ensure Columbia’s compliance with accreditation standards including compliance with federal civil rights laws.”
The notification follows a turbulent spring for both the Trump administration and Columbia.
The administration denied the Ivy League institution millions of dollars in funding in March, citing “inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
Negotiations to recover the government funds that normally support the school’s scientific and medical research initiatives began after Columbia agreed to the Trump administration’s demands to return the cash.
Even after agreeing to the administration’s demands, the school was still attempting to restore the money in May, claiming that 180 employees whose jobs are supported by the federal grants would have to be let go.
Claire Shipman, the interim president of Columbia at the time, stated that the university was still in negotiations with the government “in support of resuming activity on these research awards and additional other awards that have remained active, but unpaid.”
Similar to last year’s encampments, students protested the war on campus in May despite the back and forth between the government and the school.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Education Department stated that if accreditors have learned that one of their universities is not in compliance with federal law, they must inform their universities and set up plans to correct the violations. Additionally, if a school “fails to come into compliance within a specified period, an accreditor must take appropriate action against its member institution.”
No additional information regarding a schedule or required steps was supplied by the government.
It probably won’t happen right away if Columbia loses its accreditation, which would prevent it from receiving student aid money.
Before making a decision, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education will schedule a time to discuss the evidence with Columbia authorities in accordance with its own standards.
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The institution will most likely attempt to show the accreditor what it is doing to adhere to federal law in response, and the accreditor will assess whether the efforts are adequate.
There will probably be overlap in the procedures Columbia modifies to meet accreditation requirements and federal antisemitism investigations because the university is also working with the federal government to find a solution to the problems.
Both Democratic and Republican administrations frequently find colleges to be in violation of civil rights legislation, but they seldom lose their accreditation for it since schools typically work out agreements with the government to comply.
Although the accreditor is “aware of the press release issued today by the United States Department of Education (USDE) regarding Columbia University and can confirm that we received a letter regarding this matter this afternoon,” Rawan Abbasi, assistant director for communications for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, declined to elaborate.
