Sat Mar 22 05:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Columbia University Implements Stricter Policies After $400 Million Funding Cut
**New York, NY** – Columbia University has announced sweeping changes to its campus policies following the Trump administration’s revocation of $400 million in federal funding. The move, seen as punitive for alleged antisemitism and campus unrest during last year’s Israel-Hamas war, prompted the university to implement stricter rules on protests, disciplinary procedures, and a review of its Middle East studies curriculum.
The university’s new measures include:
* **Increased Campus Security:** The hiring of 36 new campus police officers with powers to arrest protesters, in addition to continued cooperation with the NYPD. Protests within and immediately outside academic buildings are now banned. Protesters must show university ID and cannot wear face coverings.
* **Strengthened Disciplinary Actions:** The provost’s office gains expanded authority to discipline students involved in protests, with the university president retaining final appeal jurisdiction. The university cites past expulsions and suspensions for student activism as evidence of its commitment to enforcing disciplinary actions. A new university judicial board will oversee disciplinary processes.
* **Middle East Curriculum Review:** A new senior vice provost will conduct a thorough review of the Middle East studies curriculum, aiming for “institutional neutrality” and expanding faculty intellectual diversity. The university also pledged to review its admissions policies, noting a decline in Jewish and Black student enrollment.
* **Anti-Semitism Policy:** The university will implement stricter anti-discrimination policies, incorporating the definition of antisemitism recommended by its Antisemitism Taskforce. This includes sanctions against student groups for violations.
These changes follow widespread campus protests last year, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations, counter-protests, and building occupations. The administration’s actions also targeted Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and activist, who remains detained without charge. The government cited his alleged ties to Hamas.
While the university claims these changes address concerns raised by the administration and the university community, it remains unclear whether they will result in the reinstatement of the $400 million in funding. The White House has yet to comment. Critics, including the NYCLU, have condemned the funding freeze as an unconstitutional attempt to stifle free speech on college campuses.
First Piper 