Overview

• Columbia University has agreed to a series of demands from the Trump administration to begin negotiations for restoring $400 million in federal funding revoked earlier this month.
• Key changes include banning masks during protests, empowering 36 campus police officers with arrest authority, and appointing a senior vice provost to oversee Middle Eastern studies programs.
• The university also adopted a new definition of antisemitism and revised its disciplinary policies, expelling and suspending students involved in prior campus protests.
• Critics argue the measures threaten academic freedom, with concerns raised about federal influence over the university's curriculum and governance.
• The Trump administration's actions are part of a broader push targeting universities over alleged antisemitism and ideological bias, with investigations into 60 other institutions ongoing.