Columbia University decided federal funding was too good to pass up over indoctrination, disruptive protests, and antisemitism.
On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported Columbia will yield to the demands of President Donald Trump after a revocation of $400 million in federal funds earlier this month.
The school will ban masks, give campus police new authority to arrest students, and appoint a new senior vice provost.
The last of those changes concerns making changes to the school’s department of Middle East Studies, South Asian and African Studies, and its Center for Palestine Studies.
This position will look at the curriculum, hiring of nontenure faculty, and department leadership to create “balance” and promote a “comprehensive” outlook.
This month, Trump pulled grants and contracts for several schools as his administration felt antisemitism on campuses was not being addressed. Columbia met with Trump’s task force on antisemitism and agreed to start facing this issue.
“We have worked hard to address the legitimate concerns raised both from within and without our Columbia community, including by our regulators, with respect to the discrimination, harassment, and antisemitic acts our Jewish community has faced in the wake of October 7, 2023,” a Columbia memorandum reads.
The school says enrollment among Jewish students is down, adding it will adopt a new definition of antisemitism which includes excluding Jews based on their attitude towards Israel and cheering for violence against Israel or Jewish people.
Jewish students on campus stated they felt their rejection from university clubs was due to their position on Israel.
Will more schools soon bow to Trump?
Yes: 100% (46 Votes)
No: 0% (0 Votes)
According to U.S. News, Columbia has the 13th largest endowment in the country at over $13 billion dollars.
The Wall Street Journal sets that number slightly higher at $15 billion, but regardless, they don’t seem to be hurting for funding looking at the numbers.
With that in Mind, WSJ asserts it wouldn’t take long for things to come to a halt if federal funding were severed completely.
Trump’s decision makes sense.
Why would government money pour into a school that allows students to be treated differently because of their race?
The university – although many seem to forget this – should serve as their community’s central hub for critical thinking through the exchange of ideas.
Even prior to the president’s first term, many prominent universities have devolved into indoctrination centers and activist training camps.
Keeping in mind, left-wing ideology at Columbia should not simply be substituted for whatever narrative the Trump administration wishes to push.
It would be equally wrong to force students to sing Israel’s praises or treat Palestinian and Middle Eastern students differently because of their race.
None of this is particularly novel. Our schools should be facilitators of critical thinking.
If they aren’t that, they aren’t really schools.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
