Columbia Agrees to $200 Million Fine to Settle Fight With Trump

[In It to Win It]

NYT - Gift Link

Columbia University will pay a $200 million fine to settle allegations from the Trump administration that it failed to do enough to stop the harassment of Jewish students, part of a sweeping deal reached on Wednesday to restore the university’s federal research funding, according to a statement from the university.

In exchange for the return of hundreds of millions in research grants, Columbia will also pledge to follow laws banning the consideration of race in admissions and hiring, and follow through on other commitments to reduce antisemitism and unrest on campus that it agreed to in March.

The deal, which settles more than a half-dozen open civil rights investigations into the university, will be overseen by an independent monitor agreed to by both sides who will report to the government on its progress every six months. Columbia will also pay $21 million to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, said in the release. “The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track.”

The deal is a significant milestone in the Trump administration’s quest to bring elite universities to heel. Columbia is the first university to reach a negotiated settlement over antisemitism claims. Harvard, which has sued the administration over funding cuts, is also negotiating for restoration of its federal money. The expectation is that the Columbia settlement will provide a template for future deals.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. "Fined" more than they would fine a corporation.

[kwolf68]

2. Trump administration's quest to bring elite universities to heel

Straight out of the fascist playbook.

[spanone]

3. Disgusting on every level.

[Mad_Machine76]

4. Shakedown

😡

[newdeal2]

5. And it won't be the last

How the hell did we end up here? A corrupt SCOTUS for one.

[Mad_Machine76]

6. Columbia didn't even fight this.

Disappointing

[newdeal2]

7. No, they did not

But even those that did initially and publicly like Harvard seem like they're quietly negotiating something.

Trump is preying on the vulnerable like news companies that need regulatory approval or universities (even rich one) that will shutdown if they don't get the funding promised to them.

[question everything]

8. $200m million?? Where do they go, to his pockets? Has any president enriched himself so quickly?

[Kid Berwyn]

9. Shame on Columbia

Like the mobsters say, “Nothing personal. Business.”