Is Columbia University Yielding to Pressure from the Trump Administration? Find Out What’s Really Happening!

Columbia University, New York City

This week, a lively protest took place on the Columbia University campus. Many participants wore keffiyehs and played music as they showed their support for Palestine. They displayed flags on Barnard College’s Milstein Library and held signs expressing their demands, frustrated by the recent actions taken against pro-Palestine students.

The atmosphere had been tense for weeks, and on March 5, it boiled over. Hours into the protest, authorities reported a bomb threat, forcing everyone to evacuate. Shortly after, New York Police arrived, equipped for crowd control. They moved through the area, detaining some protesters and forcefully clearing the lawn.

This incident is part of a growing concern over free speech at Columbia, a school known for promoting open dialogue. However, it now finds itself at the center of intense scrutiny regarding student activism.

Columbia made headlines recently for expelling students involved in pro-Palestine activities. On February 21, two students were expelled for disrupting a class on the History of Modern Israel; another student was expelled on February 28 after participating in a protest last spring. These actions, framed as responses to “disruptions,” signal a shift in the university’s attitude towards activism.

The university has even opened investigations into students who have written critical articles about Israel. For Columbia, this crackdown on political expression is alarming and has raised red flags among civil liberties advocates.

In response, students quickly mobilized. A nationwide petition to reinstate the expelled Barnard students gathered over 125,000 signatures. Protests on campus have grown in number and intensity, with around 100 students participating in a sit-in on February 26, demanding the reversal of the expulsion decisions.

The following Wednesday, there was another sit-in. This time, Barnard administrators issued disciplinary warnings to participants, stating they were violating college policies.

Adding to the tension, the Trump administration recently announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal funding to Columbia, claiming the university has failed to protect Jewish students during the protests. This decision shocked many on campus and intensified the already fraught financial climate, which has seen donations dwindle. As one psychology and music senior, Nkozi Jones, put it, this labeling of protesters as antisemitic only increases division and distrust among students.

The combination of expulsions, funding cuts, and stricter disciplinary actions has created an atmosphere of uncertainty. Political science student Tristan Espinoza described the cancellation of federal grants as a threat to academic freedom and a move to undermine the diverse ideas that colleges like Columbia are supposed to represent.

The situation isn’t limited to the campus. The State Department is reportedly developing ways to monitor social media for “extremist speech” connected to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This could put student visas at risk for those sharing pro-Palestinian views online.

Columbia is navigating a tumultuous time, caught in the middle of a highly polarizing issue. Classics Professor Joseph Howley criticized the government’s methods, pointing out the irony of facing accusations from an administration accused of harboring extremist views.