Columbia University is increasingly acting in accordance with the Trump administration’s wishes, but with little to show for it so far.<\/p>\n
After a group of students stormed the school\u2019s library and refused to leave last week, the president of the university called in the New York Police Department (NYPD), leading to almost 80 arrests. More than 65 students have been suspended<\/a> and 33 people were barred from campus due to their participation.<\/p>\n While praise came quickly from the White House, hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding paused by the government was not restarted, and members of the Columbia community are denouncing the school’s actions, which also include giving in to the administration’s original demands for the funding but so far seeing nothing in return.<\/p>\n “I think what happened was enormous overreaction by the university and by the New York City Police Department,\u201d said Michael Thaddeus, professor of mathematics at Columbia and vice president of the Columbia chapter of the American Association of University Professors.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis harsh and severe response by the university seems to be a response to pressure from the government,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n The quick call to the NYPD and swift discipline for students mark a stark difference from how protests were handled last spring, when Columbia\u2019s administration attempted to negotiate with students and only involved law enforcement as a last resort.<\/p>\n Those 2024 demonstrations infuriated Republicans, with pro-Palestinian activists from Columbia and multiple other schools specifically targeted in President Trump’s crackdown on international scholars.<\/p>\n Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said “it’s pretty clear that Columbia” gave in to the \u201cTrump regime by bringing in the NYPD quickly, never engaging in negotiations with students, sweeping up everybody, including students who were studying at the library, and without a hearing or even asking any questions about their involvement.”<\/p>\n Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Columbia said the university has been “preparing for incidents like this” and the “actions were in line with the enhanced protocols we\u2019ve put in place in recent months.”<\/p>\n “Our priority was to prevent further escalation, ensure safety, and allow the Columbia community to return to its academic mission with minimal disruption,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The White House\u2019s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism released a statement saying acting school President Claire Shipman \u201cmet the moment with fortitude and conviction,\u201d saying it \u201cis confident that\u00a0Columbia\u00a0will take the appropriate disciplinary actions for those involved in this act.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But despite openly agreeing nearly two months ago to the Trump administration’s demands \u2014 including hiring more campus safety officers and prohibitions on masks \u2014 Columbia appears no closer to the restoration of some $400 million in federal funds.<\/p>\n That funding freeze has resulted in at least 180 job cuts<\/a> so far, but perceived efforts to curry favor with Trump are producing fury among the student population.<\/p>\n