Columbia University to pay $200m to settle anti-Semitism claims
Al Jazeera3 days
This settlement restores Columbia's federal funding and protects its academic independence by safeguarding its autonomy over hiring, admissions, and content while addressing legitimate concerns about campus safety. Without this deal, the university’s world-class research programs would have been devastated, and the visa status of thousands of international students threatened.
This settlement is little more than a total capitulation on behalf of Columbia University. The agreement is effectively an extortion scheme, whereby the government’s threats have led Columbia to cough up cash, despite the deal’s violation of the First Amendment and relevant statutes. This sets a dangerous precedent for government control over higher education.
There is a 30% chance that the Department of Homeland Security will revoke or suspend the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification for an Ivy League university before September 1, 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.