In the end, Columbia did what was right. But only after all other options, save self-immolation, had been exhausted.
After months of fighting the Trump administration over its campus policies and actions, Columbia University finally threw in the towel. A sweeping agreement with the White House will cost the university $221 million, its DEI policies, and to some extent its independence. A monitor will be assigned to Columbia to ensure compliance with the agreement, which also allows the restoration of federal research dollars.
As ABC’s New York City reports, it’s still a good deal for Columbia — financially, anyway:
The problem was not just that Columbia students and agitators protested on behalf of Palestinians, however. They created a violent intimidation campaign at Columbia that occasionally spilled out off-campus in New York City as well. The agitators seized turf and buildings, refused to disperse, and created a hostile and unsafe environment for Jewish students and faculty, and the school went months without lifting a finger to put an end to it.
That finally ended a couple of months ago, when Columbia called the NYPD immediately after pro-Hamas agitators seized the campus library and began to vandalize and destroy it. The school got around to disciplining the 70-plus students arrested this week, just before the deal got announced:
Does anyone doubt that the Trump administration forced Columbia to act as a condition of this deal? I mean, I’ve heard of coincidences, but I’m not necessarily a big believer in them.
So what is the deal? Columbia will get most of its money back, but only on a short leash, the Wall Street Journal reports:
As part of the deal, Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government over three years to settle allegations the school violated antidiscrimination laws. The school also agreed to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $21 million.
In return, the Trump administration will restore nearly all of the hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants it had pulled from Columbia back in March. The New York City school will also be able to access federal funding in the future.
The deal doesn’t include a consent decree, which the Trump administration initially pursued. That would have given a federal judge responsibility for ensuring Columbia changes its practices.
Instead, a “jointly selected independent monitor” will assess Columbia’s compliance with the resolution, including guidelines around admissions and faculty hiring. The resolution names Bart M. Schwartz, a former chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, as the monitor.
It may not be a consent decree in name, but that’s what it looks like in principle. Then-HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson appointed Schwartz to a five-year term as federal monitor for the New York City Housing Authority in 2019, finishing up in March 2024. He also got appointed by the Obama administration as federal monitor for General Motors after a deferred prosecution over faulty ignition switches, and that extended to 2018 under Trump. He also served as one of the receivers in the Bernie Madoff case who clawed back $2 billion from those who profited from the scheme to reimburse its victims. All of that came after his career as a federal prosecutor in one of the toughest districts in the country.
In other words, Schwartz is a heavyweight. His resumé indicates an ability to work across the aisle with Republicans and Democrats, which may be why Columbia agreed to “jointly” “choose” Schwartz, but that doesn’t make him a pushover — clearly. He won’t be daunted by Academia, and Columbia has to know it. They now have a babysitter, and the babysitter has a paddle.
What else will change? The New York Times adds that the DEI project at Columbia is at least mostly dead, emphasis mine:
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.
Trump made a point of noting that last night on Truth Social:
This is a total victory for the Trump administration, and it sets a very clear precedent and model for other such conflicts with higher education, especially in the Ivy League. Education Secretary Linda McMahon practically speed-dialed Harvard in her statement:
Linda McMahon, the federal education secretary, said in a statement that the deal was “a seismic shift in our nation’s fight to hold institutions that accept American taxpayer dollars accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment.”
“Columbia’s reforms are a road map for elite universities that wish to regain the confidence of the American public by renewing their commitment to truth-seeking, merit and civil debate,” she said.
Let’s see if Alan Garber and the faculty at Hahhhvaaahd can still read for comprehension.
Editor’s Note: President Trump and his administration are fighting hard to reverse the Marxists’ long march through the institutions of Academia. The Protection Racket Media and the progressive elites will do anything they can to fight against fair access and real education as they protect their indoctrination centers.
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